Sensory Projections
by ktrhyne
Summary: A new instructor at Xavier's school has a tragic past-can Logan be the one to help her move on? Set after X2 movie. Rated M for language, adult/sexual content, and non-graphic reference to rape. Mature readers only. **Sequel to this story is posted, entitled "The Island."
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I do not own Marvel's X-men, its comics or characters, or films based on them, and I do not make any profit off of this story or its content and characters.**

Chapter 1

"Scott, I may be more than a few moments; can you wait for me out here?"

"I will," Scott replied, identifying a bench nearby, and angled his head toward the door of the bakery. "Just come get me when you're done, and I'll be waiting."

Charles Xavier made a gracious inclination in return, then silently wheeled himself inside, where the bakery's warmth and fresh smells surrounded him. A little bell above the doorsill had pinged upon his entrance, and a soft, melodious voice called out from the space behind the counter: "I'll be right with you."

Xavier smiled to himself upon hearing this intonation, resting his hands in his lap while he waited for her appearance.

"What can I get for you?" The smile was imbedded already in her speech, but her lips curved up kindly as she wiped her floury hands on her white apron. "The Friday special is . . . Professor!"

Delighted at her surprise, Xavier beamed at his former student.

"Professor Xavier, what brings you here?"

"There's more than one reason for my presence, my dear, but can I first say congratulations?" Xavier produced a folded piece of newsprint from his inner suit pocket.

She recognized the recent edition of the campus newspaper, which had published a list of the upcoming weekend's graduates, her own name included with the rest of the successful PhD candidates.

"Oh," she blushed, "I didn't know they'd send you that."

"I'm a subscriber, of course!" he insisted, reaching for her hands resting next to the cash register to press upon her his admiration. She flinched almost imperceptibly before he could make contact, then fluttered her hands busily over to a stack of menus, patting and aligning them into 90-degree perfection. He pretended not to notice, continuing proudly, "When one of my former students is earning a doctoral degree from M.I.T., I naturally want to stay informed of her Commencement date."

Her hands stilled atop the smooth surface of the menu card stock, her fingertips pressing down and blanching slightly white as her cheeks pinked up at his recognition. "Thank you so much; I think you're the only familiar face I'll have in the audience."

They smiled at one another for a brief moment before Charles broke in to the silence. "Actually, I have someone accompanying me. Do you remember Scott Summers? He was a few years ahead of you at the school, and is an instructor there now." He indicated out the huge front picture window, where Cyclops was just visible on a bench across the street, motionless but clearly alert to his surroundings, despite the innocuous green lawn at his feet.

"Of course, yes," she hastened to add, "I suppose you wouldn't travel alone. I'm glad to have you both here_ - _maybe we could all have lunch together after the ceremony tomorr-"

"The ceremony is not the only reason for my visit, I'm afraid," Xavier interrupted, "though I want you to know I could not be prouder of you. But the other matter I'm alluding to is an unfortunate one: we recently lost our chief school physician and instructor, Jean Grey."

"Ohh," she breathed. Certainly she remembered Jean, and Scott, for that matter; over-achievers a handful of years her senior who had blazed a trail of impeccable accomplishments through their years at Xavier's school before earning their advanced degrees, becoming advocates for mutant rights, and generally collecting accolades across the nation that they swept back with them to Westchester in their positions at Charles's right and left hands. Jean's resume had been enviable, particularly her ease in public speaking in front of both television cameras and Senate hearings alike, and the news of her death was a huge blow_ - _to the mutant population as well as to a fellow Alumna. "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you, it's been hard on all of us, and on Scott, her fiancé, in particular." Charles glanced again at the stoic figure behind the shiny red sunglasses on the bench outside. "To get right to the point, I'm offering you a job. Dr. Henry McCoy is poised to take over duties for the school's health care needs," he reassured her, "but I'm looking for someone who can step in on the Biology and Chemistry classes, at least temporarily." He tapped the newspaper on the counter in front of him. "I know your post-doctoral fellowship doesn't begin until next year, or I wouldn't be asking you; obviously you're overqualified to teach high school introductory science." He gave a small, sad smile. "But you can see we are in a bind."

Her eyes had been widening at everything he said, and now she found herself dumbstruck. "I . . . I, um . . . ."

"Please understand I do not need an answer this instant," Xavier hastened to add. "We will be in town until tomorrow, and would be glad to speak with you as much as you want about the position, and answer any questions you might have. For starters, I assume you know that all of our instructors have live-in accommodations: room and board are in addition to a teaching salary."

She consciously stopped gaping, and swallowed before nodding her head in comprehension.

Charles nodded back, "I'm sorry for the abruptness with which I must present this offer, but time is of the essence. The school runs year-round for our secondary students, as you recall, and we've already been some months without an instructor."

She took a breath and started pacing behind the bakery case, walking back and forth behind assorted muffins and cookies with her head bent in thought and her hands rubbing firmly on the outsides of her crossed arms. After a moment, she returned and stood behind the countertop across from where Xavier was waiting in his wheelchair. She caught his eye, blinked twice in rapid succession, then looked straight down at the floor.

_I see_, thought Xavier. This action had long been a sort of shorthand, or secret code, with the students at the school. Whenever one of his young mutants was feeling too shy, threatened, private, or what-have-you for verbal speech, this series of eye movements would let him know that he was being given permission to read their thoughts instead.

_I need you to know something_, she thought. At the same time he asked in her head, _What do you want to say?_

She exhaled, allowing her eyes to water as she communicated telepathically with her former headmaster, keeping her gaze down on the floor so as not to notice the sympathy and worry that filled his eyes at hearing her story. When she finished, he asked simply, _What can I do to help you?_

She made eye contact and answered aloud, her voice appealing him: "Please keep me safe."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Professor Xavier wheeled ahead of the other mutants into his office at the mansion, his hands tidying up piles of paperwork on his desk while they found seats: Ororo, Kurt, Hank, and finally Logan, bringing up the rear as usual when it came to staff meetings.

"I take it that your trip was successful, then?" Hank asked, once the Professor had stopped cleaning up and had positioned himself in front of his desk beside an empty chair.

"Yes, Professor, I'm sorry that I wasn't here to see you off when you left, but can you tell us about this new instructor? She's here?" Ororo's soft voice sounded welcoming and uplifting, although those close to her could detect a faint note of strain borne of the past stressful months, when she'd taken over more of the school's administrative duties. With Jean dead, Scott mourning, and the Professor searching dedicatedly for a new faculty member, Ororo's energies were spent keeping everything running for the "gifted youngsters" of the school. Kurt heard this and gently patted her knee with one two-fingered blue hand.

"Yes, she returned with us this morning," said Charles. "As it turned out, she needed only a little time after her graduation yesterday to pack her things and prepare to relocate here to the mansion, so we stayed in Boston an extra night to be of assistance and offer her a ride. Scott is showing her where her room is now."

"And her doctoral degree is in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, correct?" Hank looked thoughtful. "I wonder if she brought a copy of her dissertation, I'd love to read it."

Logan snorted. Xavier ignored him and continued. "Yes, Hank, and her particular concentration was in research on mutant nervous systems_ - _I'm sure that you and she are going to have much to discuss and share from your fields of study over the next year while she is a teacher here. Though," he added, "she's quite shy, so it might take her a little while to get to know all of you."

"What is her mutation?" Kurt queried in his slightly breathy German accent.

"She naturally makes sensory projections, which cause enhanced favorable perceptions of the sense receptors in the autonomic nervous systems of those around her."

"In English, Professor," groaned Logan.

"Sense receptors, as in the five senses?" asked Ororo, shooting a glance of annoyance at the Wolverine.

"Exactly," smiled the Professor. "In 'English': anyone who encounters her will be overwhelmed by their five senses' positive reaction to her; they'll feel happy, and then some. It can be more like bliss. This means that she has some degree of persuasion with people, but only as far as their extremely good mood allows it. Telepathy and mind control are not part of her mutation."

"Fascinating!" remarked Beast. "So presumably, her appearance is attractive to the sense of sight, and her voice harmonious to the auditory processes, but what about the olfactory receptors? Is there a release during diaphoresis_ - _ah, that's sweating, Logan."

"Very astute deduction, Hank. In addition to her perspiration, sebaceous glands and hair follicles, her pheromones give off a recognizable scent; rather than their fragrance being subtle enough to be discernible only by the animal kingdom and mutants who are on the feral spectrum, like Logan, ordinary people process her pheromone release and odor from her skin individually within their central nervous systems. Speaking plainly, her scent is pleasing, but _different_ to every person depending on what he or she finds to be a pleasurable smell." Charles's eyes unfocused with memory. "When she was at school here, I recall that many other students identified either a light floral bouquet or something sweet. When I don't block the intricacies of her mutation with my telepathy, I actually smell gingersnaps around her."

"Great," said Logan, with a heavy dose of sarcasm. "What's her name? Cookie?"

_"Siren."_

All heads swiveled to the door to see that the voice came from a chestnut-haired, fair-skinned woman, entering the Professor's office behind Scott. She hesitated in the doorway, casting her blue eyes slightly downward when she saw everyone looking at her. "But you can call me Lorelei. Lorelei Lee."

Logan squinted as she crossed the room to sit gratefully in the empty seat that the Professor gestured to at his side, before he briefly murmured to her the other instructors' names. "Don't we already have a Siryn here?"

"Not the same kind of siren," Kurt interjected softly._ "Die Lorelei _is a German water spirit, a Rhinemaiden, who sings the song that offers every man his heart's desire." He smiled at the newcomer.

"Similar to the mythological Greek Sirens encountered in Homer's Odyssey, yes," said the Professor. "Rather than our student Siryn and her ability to project her voice beyond the normal range."

"Lorelei, welcome," said Ororo warmly. "And congratulations on your graduation. We're so glad you have decided to join us here. We hope you don't mind, but Charles was just telling us about your mutation and explaining how it works. Can I ask: does it have the same effect on both humans and mutants?"

"Yes, in my observation," came Lorelei's musical tones. "Physical proximity is a factor in how much of an effect my powers have, but the only mutants who have been able to subdue the sensations are ones consciously employing psychic blocks, the way the Professor can. Although I have encountered a few random humans in the past who were completely indifferent to me." She glanced briefly at Xavier, though everyone else was too absorbed in the beauty of her voice to note the significance of the look she exchanged with him. All except Logan.

"And I did have one kind of embarrassing incident at a store in Boston," she admitted, continuing to talk to cover her anxiety. "The cashier was giving me a strange look, then asked me if I had come in to the city from my farm. When I told her I hadn't, she wrinkled up her nose and said she asked because of the manure smell. I realized what must be going on_ - _that she was having some kind of opposite reaction to my sensory stimuli, including experiencing a negative scent." Lorelei smiled. "I'm so glad I don't smell like cow patties to most people."

Almost as one, the other mutants in the room breathed in deeply through their noses, sighing with a happiness that was evident from the looks on all their faces. All except Logan.

The Professor noticed. "Logan, do you not experience a change in mood elevation from inhaling?" At the Wolverine's brief head shake, the Professor pursed his lips. "Hmm, that makes sense, actually_ - _your healing mutation is likely preventing your sensory receptors from relaying their neural messages to your brain's center, since the resulting good mood would be, ah, deviant from your norm."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want him to feel so happy that he stopped being his regular charming self," said Scott, the eye roll apparent in his tone even if it was not visible behind his shades.

"As a fellow scientist, Lorelei," Beast interjected, before Logan could make a retort, "you must find this news interesting, as I do: Logan's hyperactive immune system is automatically overriding the sensory messages from your mutation, without requiring a deliberate mental effort." Lorelei nodded as he continued, "By the way, I very much look forward to hearing about some of your past research efforts, and perhaps there will even be opportunity for us to collaborate in the future? And one more clarification, if you will allow: Xavier confirmed how you permeate a receiver's senses of sight, sound, and smell, but he noted that all five senses can be affected. Do you mind explaining further?"

Swallowing her nervousness at having the whole room riveted on her, Lorelei cleared her throat. "The sense of touch is in part due to thermoreceptor stimulus. From my own occasional verifications, my body temperature runs about two or three degrees above the typical human 98.6 degrees, so my touch conveys physical warmth in addition to contributing to the overall effect of emotional warmth. The areas of the body with the highest concentration of Merkel cells_ - _hands, feet, and lips_ - _seem to receive neuroendocrine signals; there may be a chemical reaction taking place upon contact as well. I've also theorized, but never scientifically tested, that the sound of my voice temporarily suppresses the body's nociceptors."

"So that someone who was in physical pain might hear you speak, and not feel the hurt?" asked Hank.

"Right. An individual's body might feel good from my touch due to its warmth, hormone reaction, decrease in pain, or all of the above. I never tried any of these experiments in a lab, because in a graduate program with non-mutant students I didn't want to . . . call attention to myself." She cleared her throat again, then her voice dropped almost to a whisper as her words all came out in a rush. "The, um, sense of taste is affected because the gustatory cells on the tongue signal endorphin release when in contact with any part of my epidermis." She kept her eyes fixed on her lap while she blushed from her collar to her forehead. The X-men shifted their gazes elsewhere around the room, enjoying the cloud of Siren-infused euphoria that currently enveloped them, and trying to think about anything other than licking her skin to see if it could possibly make them feel even more wonderful.

"Ahm, thank you, Lorelei, for being so forthcoming with all of us regarding your abilities-your first science lesson here, so to speak," joked the Professor. "And I know that all of our faculty will make you feel at home and assist you in getting to know your surroundings; thanks to you all for welcoming Lorelei to our family. The dinner hour will begin soon, so perhaps some of you can introduce yourselves, and your own abilities, in a little more depth over the meal. I must speak with Ororo privately now regarding some student disciplinary infractions, but Lorelei, I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning to discuss your curriculum. Scott, if you would not mind showing her to the dining room?"

Everyone was rising to their feet and departing the office, and Scott turned back to arrive at Lorelei's side and acknowledge that she was ready to follow him. As he did so, some of the stress on his face, which had reappeared upon the meeting's end, began to disappear. Lorelei's quiet thanks to him made the frown line between his eyebrows melt away, and after a brief, but deep, intake of breath, Scott was almost smiling as he led the way down the hall.

Xavier watched after them for a moment, unclenching strained muscles in his jaw that he didn't even realize he'd been tensing. _A little dose of happiness will be good for him, _he thought_. Maybe being near her powers will help pull him out of this depression he's been in since Jean's death. And who knows? Possibly someday in the future, Scott and Lorelei . . . ._

Turning to Storm, Charles's field of vision picked up an instructor who had not yet left his office. Logan was staring the Professor down with an amused glint in his eyes, allowing a little smirk to creep onto his face as he withdrew a cigar from his pocket as if he were the telepath, reading the matchmaking plans in Xavier's mind.

"Logan, don't you have somewhere else to be?" Charles asked dryly.

Logan raised his eyebrows, popped the cigar into his mouth, and left.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"And here are the copies of those syllabi; I will make sure to email them to you as well."

"Thank you, Professor." Lorelei gathered the papers into her hands, gripping them tightly to give her courage for the new subject she was about to broach. "Prof- Charles, I wanted to ask you about research."

Charles could see how apprehensive she was, so he deliberately made his posture as relaxed as possible before he responded. "Oh?"

"Well, yesterday when we were here for the meeting, Dr. McCoy made reference to the possibility of the two of us collaborating, and I wanted to express my interest in that."

Xavier nodded his head in agreement. "Hank has published a number of articles in the past few years, and I imagine he'd be very pleased to continue his authorship with your contribution while working here at the school."

"An article isn't exactly what I had in mind_ - _I'm hoping to receive your permission to conduct a scientific study. Laboratory work."

"Obviously a realm in which you are well-versed, but what type of data are you looking to study?"

"Me." Lorelei cast her eyes down at the floor, which was her habit, but then lifted her face and set her shoulders back in a bid to appear more confident than she felt, ready to be evaluated by Xavier as his colleague instead of as the shy teen that she could still feel lurking inside of her.

Charles raised his eyebrows, silently indicating to her to go on. "Well, I mentioned yesterday that I have some theories about my mutant powers, but despite my work with mutant neurological systems, I've never tested myself_ - _out of my desire to stay incognito." She inclined her head a bit. "Of course, there were some fellow students and professors who I think suspected that I was a mutant, but knowing that they may be curious was certainly not the same as volunteering myself for their scrutiny. I'm very interested in learning more about my mutation_ - _how it works inside me as well as how it affects others_ - _but I never had access to a private, and safe, place equipped to put myself through that kind of examination, until arriving here yesterday. Would you consider granting me access to the school's medical labs for this work? And do you think Dr. McCoy_ - _Hank_ - _could be enticed to participate?"

"Hank will have to decide that on his own," Charles said firmly, "but given his enthusiasm for study and research, and the fact that we do not always have faculty members who share this passion of his, I daresay he'll be eager to partner with you. With regard to the labs, I give you permission to use any of them, provided that you communicate your usage schedule with the other staff members. Some of our cleanspace labs are somewhat remote in their locations within the building, so alerting the others to your presence will ensure that you can be found in an emergency.

"The current social and political climates for mutants are quite volatile, as you know. Over the past few years the long-term staff members here have felt . . ." Charles hesitated, "called, to provide assistance and protection, even defense, for those of our kind in need of this help. At times, some of the instructors will need to leave the school suddenly, although usually briefly, if our abilities and strength in numbers are required. We would need to know that the students were left in trustworthy, capable hands; you would aid in supervising them if other faculty and I were absent without advance notice."

"Certainly, I see. It sounds a little dangerous, though," murmured Lorelei. She was relieved that she would not have to participate in the missions with the other staff members_ - _the unpredictability of what they could encounter would be nerve-wracking to her_ - _but she was glad to hear that they were working to help other mutants and keep them safe. "I'll always make the other faculty members aware of where I am when I'm working in the basement facilities, and I really appreciate your generosity in allowing me to use them. And, one final request."

"Yes?" Charles responded wryly.

"I agreed with Hank's observation about the significance of that instructor Logan's healing ability preventing him from being affected by my mutation_ - _I've never encountered that before. I thought that perhaps I could also ask Mr. Logan to participate in the study. I wondered if taking some vitals readings would be able to determine whether he is completely unable to feel my sensory effects, or if something can be learned by observing the way his ability "heals" him. It could provide a different perspective in my research. He does seem, um, pretty intimidating, though. Could you facilitate an introduction with him, so that I have a little familiar support when I request his help?"

Charles nodded slowly. "Like Dr. McCoy, Logan will have to make his own decision about whether or not he participates in your study, and I can tell you that his experience with laboratories in the last few decades was traumatizing, to say the least. I think that presenting the project as not being invasive will be crucial, and I'd be glad to coach and encourage you in making your case to him."

"Thank you so much, Professor, it means a lot to me to have your help."

"You're welcome. And Lorelei? You don't have to be concerned: you _are_ safe here."

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Several weeks later with the school term well underway, Dr. McCoy was on board with the project, and armed with a rough outline of their hypotheses, research methods, and measurements of success, Lorelei approached Logan with Xavier at her side. Logan listened silently while she gave him a brief, but thorough, rundown of what they were asking of him, but he addressed his comment to Xavier.

"A lab, huh?" He chuckled, with no real humor in his voice, and ambiguously shook his head. "Not exactly the kind of place I'd enter voluntarily, you know?"

Disappointment crept in to Lorelei's eyes, and Charles spoke up. "I understand your trepidation, Logan, of course. But as you've heard: the equipment being used will not cause you physical discomfort, you can withdraw from the project at any time if you choose, and you'll be aiding a fellow faculty member in making discoveries that could prove to be significant. Please_ - _your acquiescence will mean a lot."

Logan jerked his head toward Lorelei. "Who's asking me to do this, Professor? You? Or her?"

Lorelei's mouth fell open in surprise, but she spoke up. "I am," she said.

"Okay," Logan agreed. "I'll do it. I'll donate my body to science," he grinned at her. "Just let me know where and when you want me."

With her eyes gazing steadily at his shoes, she said "thank you." Her habitual flush began to spread over her cheeks, and her voice was now barely audible. "We'll probably begin next week or the week after. I will check with Dr. McCoy's calendar and get back to you, Mr. Logan—"

"Logan. Just Logan."

"Logan," she continued, looking up into his eyes, "a schedule will be ready for you by tomorrow. And thanks again for your help." She addressed this last statement to both Logan and Professor Xavier before taking her leave.

"Anytime," Logan called after her, admiring her retreating form. He took a couple of quick sniffs of the air around him and furrowed his brow. "Well, what?!"

Xavier was almost startled by the Wolverine's exclamation, which was aimed in his direction. He turned his wheelchair to face the bigger man. "Give some consideration to your actions before you make them, Logan," urged the Professor. "We live in very close quarters, and Lorelei is fragile with regard to . . . personal overtures toward her. She was badly hurt; she does not need further pain."

Logan looked taken aback, and mildly affronted by these words as he straightened to his full height. "What makes you think I'd bring her pain?" He narrowed his eyes. "Is this about Cyclops? You think he's going to pull himself together long enough to win her over?"

"Win? This isn't a game, Logan."

"If it is, I'm not playin'."

"You know I don't want to tell you what you should do—"

"Then don't."

Logan spun on his heel, hands clenching in irritation, and strode away down the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Some days later, Logan held a sandwich in his hand, forgoing a plate as he ambled over to the dining table, where only one other person was eating a late lunch. "Hi."

Lorelei blinked as the word pulled her from her concentration, and looked beside her to see Logan sliding into a chair and moving a few of her papers aside to keep them away from the towering sandwich he began to devour. "Hi."

"Everything okay? You seem like you're working pretty hard."

She sighed to herself and tried to sit up a little straighter. "Yes, everything is fine; I just get a little anxious about being prepared for the classes in advance. This is the first time I've ever taught in a classroom setting. My teaching assistant hours in graduate school were all lab supervision, so it was often one-on-one or small groups.

"With my mutation, I try to anticipate that the students will have some degree of distraction as they acclimate to my sensory projections. Which is to be expected, of course, but even with the first term almost over, I'm _still_ trying to get them accustomed to absorbing the good vibes as well as being able to pay attention to the lecture."

Logan could not hide the grin that rose to his face. "Good vibes?"

Lorelei let out a little, beautiful laugh. "Yes, that's what I call my mutant powers to myself. I've never told that to anyone before."

"Well, in that case, your secret is safe with me," Logan said gruffly. "But really, if you ever need any help with, uh, your classes, or keeping the kids in line, let me know."

"Thank you, Logan, I really appreciate it. You're helping me so much already by taking part in the project with Hank and me_ - _are you still ready to get started tomorrow afternoon?"

"I'm looking forward to it." There was no trace of jest in his voice as he met her eyes, then he wiped his hands on a napkin and rose from the table. "I'll see you then."

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"A short break, folks, while I enter these results in the computer," Hank McCoy's voice came over the speaker.

Logan started to pace, for lack of anything else to do, while he kept his eyes on where Lorelei was uttering snippets of data into a microphone for Hank to transcribe. The lab they were in, thankfully, was a familiar one to Logan from a few of the more injury-inducing excursions with the X-men: it was usually outfitted as a surgical suite, and recovery space for major traumas. The large, spacious, well-lit room bore no resemblance to the creepy, dark, nightmarish hole from his fragmented memories of Stryker's experiments, which made it much easier for him to participate with Lorelei and Hank.

Though he realized that he would have had difficulty refusing to join them, at this point. The more time he spent with Lorelei_ - _hearing her discussions about experiment metrics with Beast, observing her interactions with the students on campus, seeing her shyly regarding the other staff members while everyone else had lively conversations around the dinner table_ - _the more captivated he was by her guilelessness, intelligence, and sincerity. Her straightforward speech, without a trace of sarcasm, was a balm to the curt defensiveness that he usually held rigidly in place; he realized that he was never flippant or rude to her the way he was with the other faculty.

She of course had a positive influence on everyone else, the ones who could not block her 'good vibes,' and he could particularly see the way the Professor manipulated Scott to have reason to be near her; employing her as a human antidepressant on his right-hand man in hopes that she might pull Scott out of his funk. Logan acknowledged how relieved he was that Cyclops, torn apart by the loss of his fiancée, continued to seem oblivious to the kind, beautiful woman in his midst, despite the uplifting effect she had on him. Although Logan had carried a torch for Jean (and he knew everyone knew it), his deep respect for her heroic sacrifice made it easier for him than for Scott to say goodbye to her memory, the way he knew he must have done for fellow soldiers in the long-ago wars of his past.

Which left room in his consciousness to consider Lorelei. He ceased his pacing, waiting for her to finish speaking with Hank and recommence the experiments. They'd met up a handful of days total over the last several weeks, so he was used to the routine. The laboratory they were in had a glass window that separated a small office from the operating theater: Hank remained at the desk inside, poised at the computer to record information, and also keeping himself out of the main room so as not to "contaminate the sample," as he put it. A set of microphones and small speakers adjacent to the window between the office and laboratory allowed Dr. McCoy and Lorelei (_Dr. Lee, actually_, Logan thought) to communicate while they worked. The sterile room contained only a gurney, a few rolling stainless steel carts, and a set of low cabinets-the metal gleamed beneath strong overhead lights.

For their experiments, Lorelei always wore a hideous bluish-grayish hospital gown, to prevent outside attire from introducing another variable into their experiment that they'd have to track. Logan had flatly refused to put one on, and after an exasperated glare eye-to-eye with Beast, Hank had huffed and handed him the pair of pants from a set of operating room scrubs, which would allow for attaching the necessary machine electrode pads on his bare torso.

Logan had to admit to himself that, despite the opportunity to spend time near Lorelei, the experimentation had been pretty dull so far, testing his senses of sight and sound and their reaction to her. With a list of their schedule, variables, and procedures taped to the window glass between the two rooms, Dr. McCoy would call out various instructions to Logan and Lorelei, wait for them to comply, and take Logan's readings off of the machines: respiratory rate, pulse rate, neurological readings, body temperature, etc. Now as they prepared to begin testing Logan's reaction to Lorelei's scent, Hank had put little labeled X's on the floor all around the room with blue tape, so that one by one Logan could stand on them and sniff the air while Hank jotted notes and asked the Wolverine to report what he smelled.

He started on an X about 30 feet across the room from where Lorelei sat on the edge of the gurney, her sock feet dangling in the air below. "Just normal person smell, Hank, plus all the steel and disinfectant in this room_ - _that's all I'm getting."

"Okay," Hank's voice had a slight echo coming through the speaker. "I'm going to have you move closer, to the '25-foot' mark, after I get all the readings, and I'll let you know when I'm ready."

Hands on his hips, Logan shifted in place and looked over at Lorelei_ - _he knew that neither of them were supposed to move until all the data had been recorded, and the next phase of the experiment commenced. She caught his eye and smiled encouragingly, mouthing the words _thank you_ to him, because she was also not allowed to speak during this trial in case her voice altered the results, or changed her scent in some way. He smiled back, nodding to acknowledge her appreciation, even though he was currently so bored that he didn't mind that much that she saw it.

The hour went by in this manner, with lots and lots of holding still and waiting in silence as Logan moved gradually closer and closer to Lorelei's spot in the room. Finally, he was standing right before her where she sat on the gurney, listening to Hank's rumbly voice as he gave instructions. "Logan, for this trial, the variable test will be that you inhale her scent by making direct contact_ - _but _only_ with her hair, as we are testing my theory that the higher melanin protein content correlates with the pheromone excretion. Take care that your nose does not touch her skin, just lean forward enough to get close to her hair, and breathe in."

Lorelei looked at Logan, nodded to indicate that she was ready, and then looked straight ahead so that she could remain as still as possible. Logan looked at her heavy curtain of glossy chestnut hair, his eyes straying momentarily to the smooth white skin of her neck just beside it, and leaned forward. The silken strands tickling the end of his nose, he breathed in deeply.

"Nope, Hank, I don't smell anyth-" Logan's voice broke off.

"Logan, what is it?" asked Hank, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.

"I just caught a whiff of something new. It's-" Logan paused to lean a few millimeters closer, and take another deep breath. "Fir trees."

"Like . . . Christmas trees?" Hank queried, his clawed fingers flying over the keyboard as quickly as possible.

Logan rocked back onto his heels, retreating out of Lorelei's space, and the distance allowed her to turn her head and look directly at him as he spoke. "Like the forest." She could see a complicated range of emotions playing over his face: surprise, apprehension, frustration, and maybe a little wistfulness. She opened her mouth, wondering what she could say to soothe him.

He closed his eyes, took one last small breath, and exhaled abruptly. "We done for today?" Not waiting for an answer, he ripped the sensor pads with their cords off of his bare chest and neck, and walked out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Good morning, Logan."

The Wolverine shifted his bleary eyes away from his black, black coffee and toward Lorelei's lovely voice as she entered the dining room and sat down next to him. It was more like good afternoon to him, since he'd awakened at 3:30a.m. and could not go back to sleep. "Mornin'."

"Logan, after our laboratory time yesterday, you left suddenly. I . . . I want to ask if there were any problems with our work that you wanted to discuss."

_Wow, that was straightforward_, thought Logan. Part of him was still sluggish, or at least as sluggish as his inner animal ever allowed him to be, and did not want to think about this. But the other part of him appreciated how she cut right to the point and asked what was on her mind. He glanced at her, and saw that her expression was neutral, but attentive, and completely patient as she waited for his response. _She really wants to know. And, _he realized_, she wants to let me think about it before I answer her. _

He tried to shake off some of his mental fog, and consider how to express what he'd been trying to get a handle on since three that morning.

"I was surprised," he finally said. She remained still, listening intently. "I was not expecting to be affected by your powers. I get used to my healing ability being able to overcome pretty much anything. And that smell of the fir trees reminded me of my home-my home from long ago. A lot of old memories, but . . . I loved it there." He smiled to put her at ease. "I didn't know how much I missed it."

She exhaled, and he hadn't realized that she was holding her breath. "I'm so sorry that the experiment's results unsettled you. But, I'm glad that it wasn't our procedure or methods that you found uncomfortable. I really hope that we can still continue with this project?" She posed it as a question, not yet acknowledging to herself how disappointed she would be if he said no, but she smiled back at him when he nodded in the affirmative. "Thank you, Logan. And I sympathize with your experience: smell makes us remember in a way that no other sense can."

He took another sip of coffee and turned this over in his mind.

"It's been a long time since I've had someone tell me they associated my scent with a tree," she continued. "The Professor mentioned people smelling flowers during my time as a student here, but the past few years most people say they smell cookies. That's why I worked in that bakery during grad school. I thought if anyone commented on my smell I could say that I'd been busy at work. I guess it's not too far off for my name to be Cookie, like you suggested when I first arrived." _Why did I say that? _She chided herself._ And since when do I talk so much about myself to people I don't know well?_

He reddened, actually reddened, and admitted, "I shouldn't have said that. I can be kind of an asshole sometimes. Siren suits you. You give every person what they want to be happy . . . even if they don't know that's what they wanted. Needed."

A shadow passed over her eyes. "The Sirens were dangerous, though. They lured sailors to shipwreck with their songs; any survivors would be so obsessed they would never want to leave the Sirens' island, and would die there. It isn't always good to get what you think you want."

Logan was stunned that she seemed to indicate her similarity to these treacherous creatures. "Lorelei-" he started, reaching out to lay his hand on hers.

Quick as a flash out of long practice, she whisked her hand into her lap and pushed out her chair. "I'm so sorry, I have to go," she murmured, walking quickly from the room, leaving Logan staring after her, confused.

She got out to the hallway and pressed her back against the wall, making an effort to slow her breathing so she would not cry. _It's been too long since I got close to someone, _she realized._ He's charismatic, strong, handsome . . . makes it hard to remind myself why I can't do this._

"Lorelei, you're up early!" called Beast from down the hall. He was walking briskly, but came to a stop in front of her, and she gave him a shaky smile as he noticed the glint of moisture in her eyes. He frowned, glancing past her into the doorway of the dining room, where Logan was still slumped in his chair and back to brooding over his coffee. Hank looked back at Lorelei's pale face, and lowered his voice.

"Lorelei, Xavier told me that your safety here at the school is of the utmost priority. Tell me: do I need to keep you safe from him?"

"No," she answered quickly, in an anxious tone that was not her norm. "He's not the problem; I know I'm safe," she reassured him.

"Then I wish you could let me know what is bothering you," Hank entreated. "I feel that we've become friends from working together, and that's not just due to your mutation stimulating the pleasure center of my brain."

She smiled, but sadly. "You don't know how much I wish I could turn that off sometimes."

"Then tell me."

His tone was vehement, but caring, and he stayed out of her personal space, as he'd observed that she didn't like people getting too close or touching her without her initiation. He stood still, with his words hanging in the air, then she nodded her head once.

"I will." _Right now._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Several days passed before another free afternoon for laboratory work came up, but finally the two scientists convened with the feral in the medical room. With Hank at the desk, Lorelei took up her familiar position on the gurney, clad in the loathsome hospital gown, with Logan watching her from across the room.

He was beginning to see just how much he liked her, with part of the reason for that being how different she was from most of the women he met. He admired the way she never remarked on innuendo or acted flirtatious. She was always modest and appropriate, sincere and polite. _A real lady, _he thought_. Jeez, I probably ran into one of those a century or so ago_. But she was a private person, and he was glad for the opportunity to exchange frank conversation with Lorelei and get to know more about her.

He especially looked forward to the work they scheduled for today, because the experiments would include his own sense of touch. He was excited that he'd be able to get closer to Lorelei, even if it was only for the sake of the scientific method, and his fingers twitched at the idea of making contact with her soft skin. _Fuck, I hope nothing else twitches. _He looked at his flimsy drawstring scrubs. _It'd be impossible to hide a hard-on wearing these._

He didn't need to worry about that, as it turned out. The scientific version of skin-to-skin touching was just about the least sexual thing he'd ever encountered: Lorelei rigidly extended her hand, palm-up, and he pressed his hand down flat on top of hers while Hank timed the contact and called out the sensory readings, recording them as he spoke. Then they repeated the process with her palm on his forearm first, neck, then face, and finally reversing their roles with his hand on her. Although yes, he was able to feel that her skin was as supple and soft as he'd imagined, especially on her slightly pinked cheeks.

She gave him a shy look when Beast reported that it was time for a break. She was certain he'd noticed how much she blushed when she laid her hand on his hairy forearm, the muscle thick and taut beneath his skin. Besides his well-built physique, he also smelled amazing: rugged and manly, with notes of wind and sunshine. She sat quietly, reflecting _it's a good thing that I'm not the one hooked up to the machines - my heartbeat was just going crazy!_

"So what are you guys going to do with all this information once we're done?" Logan asked her to break the silence.

"Well, the data will be informative about my mutation and the specific ways I am projecting to people. I am hopeful that observing your healing ability will give me a clue about how I can control my own ability better_ - _be able to have contact with people without affecting them."

"Why?" he asked. "You make people feel great_ - _isn't that a good thing?"

"For them it can be," she said. "But it's hard when I want to get close to someone. I can't be honest how I feel if all he can hear is the Siren in me." Logan stared hard at her, but she wouldn't catch his eyes.

"Are you ready?" Hank's voice interrupted.

"Yes, Hank, what's next?" asked Lorelei.

"Taste, actually," said Dr. McCoy. "The bulleted list on the instructions sheet indicates what order we're going in. Logan, we're starting with the forearm as the standard skin example."

Logan kept his eyes riveted on Lorelei's face and stepped closer to her, his body stopping just shy of touching where her knees bent as she sat on the edge of the gurney. Holding her gaze, he brought his open palm up in between them and kept it still, waiting. She lifted her arm and placed the delicate bones of her wrist in his hand. He kept staring deeply into her blue eyes as he lifted her arm to his face, bent his head, and slowly ran his tongue along the sensitive skin of her inner arm, all the way down to the crease of her elbow.

"Taste report?" Hank's voice came through the speaker.

Logan never broke eye contact. "Wonderful."

Hank sounded slightly exasperated. "Great, Logan, but can't you see the descriptors I included on that instructions sheet? Do you detect salt, sweet, sour, bitter, or umami?"

"Sweet."

"Okay. And how do you feel?"

"Very, very good." Logan released Lorelei's arm, which she now noticed was shaking slightly.

"Non-follicular cells: the palm," said Hank, keeping them on schedule.

Lorelei immediately raised her hand near his face, effectively hiding herself from his eyes. She was reluctant to lay her emotions bare to his searching looks, and was sure he'd notice the attraction she was feeling. He took a deliberate, but tiny, step forward, then gently licked her palm, allowing his lower lip to drag slightly on her skin along with the touch of his tongue. She could feel the warmth of his breath ghosting over her fingertips and making the hair on the back of her neck prickle pleasantly, but then he stepped back again.

"Sweet. Delicious. I feel fantastic." Logan addressed Hank before the doctor could ask his questions.

After making more recordings, Hank referred back to their list: "Digit."

She raised her hand again, this time with fingers outspread and trying hard not to tremble. Logan carefully took her hand in both of his, hazel eyes burning, brought her thumb to his mouth, and sucked it like a baby.

Lorelei startled, then noticed how his cheeks were curving up in a grin and started laughing. Logan hammed up his joke for an instant longer, then dropped her hand, chuckling along with her while Hank's dry "yes, yes, you're hilarious" remarks were heard in the room. Lorelei clapped her hands together as her giggles subsided, and Hank shouted so that they could hear him over their mirth, asking Logan to confirm whether this taste experience had been the same as the previous two.

"Yeah, it wa_s__ - _the best," said Logan, taking a breath as he took in Lorelei's smile. "You're the best," he finished, her face flushing after hearing that, even more than it already was. His little joke broke the tension, but also helped him cool down a bit_ - _he was starting to feel stirrings in his groin, and had suddenly become very aware of his bare chest.

"Logan, you'll need the rolling cart that is behind you now," said Hank. "There's a small sterilized glass rod on it, which Lorelei will pick up and apply to her salivary ducts before you transfer it to your mouth."

The Wolverine was already grabbing the little cart before Beast finished his sentence, and now he jerked his head up to look at Hank through the window. "You want me to eat her spit?"

"Yes, although that's a little more crude than how I put it," affirmed Hank.

Looking at Lorelei, Logan was not paying attention to the stainless steel cart he was moving, and the smooth glass rod started jiggling, then rolling across its surface, finally reaching the sharp edge of the metal and falling to the floor with a pinging sound.

"Is it broken?" Hank stood up and craned his neck to see.

"No, but since it's no longer sterile we can't use it," said Lorelei. "Were there any others left in the autoclave?"

"If saliva is what we need here, there are easier ways to get it," said Logan. He impulsively turned back to Lorelei, placed his hands on top of the gurney on either side of her thighs, and moved his mouth to hers.

Her hands shot out, connecting solidly with the adamantium bones in his shoulders while at the same time she jerked her knees upward, rolling onto her spine in an awkward backwards somersault. Logan saw a brief flash of black panties before she fell off the far edge of the gurney, emitting a cry of pain as she hit the ground, and scrabbled to her feet, lunging for the door of the lab. She clawed at the handle, ripping it open, and fled out into the hall.

"What . . . what did I . . .?" Logan stuttered, flabbergasted by her reaction and the panicked look in her eyes. He turned to the window to ask Hank, but the Beast was already on his feet, running out of the office, leaving Logan behind without any explanation.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Logan was following down the hall, but taking his time about it. He sniffed the air, noticing that Lorelei's scent was crisscrossing back and forth between rooms, with Hank's odor trailing beside it. He found that both stopped at the door to Xavier's office, and so after composing himself, he knocked on the door, then walked through after the Professor called out his permission.

Lorelei sat in one of the two leather chairs that always faced Charles's desk, one leg folded up underneath her and a tear-stained tissue in her hand as she turned to look at him. Hank and Xavier were behind the desk on the other side, wearing somber expressions. Logan immediately put his hands up in front of him in a defensive posture.

"It was my fault." The words rushed out of his mouth. Charles, who had never known Logan to admit culpability for anything, arched one eyebrow as he listened to him.

"I let myself get caught up in the moment, I should have treated the experiment more seriously, and I never, never should have tried to take any liberties with you," he addressed his last comment to Lorelei, distantly noting in his head that he sounded pretty old-fashioned and he'd probably had to make this speech to a woman before, but in his historic past. _Jackass__ - m_aybe keep your lips to yourself and you wouldn't have to.

"I appreciate your reparations to your fellow staff member," said Xavier. "Making advances on someone without her permission is inappropriate and worthy of censure, but Lorelei has already asked me not to levy any penalties on you."

"Okay, but- then- what's going on?" asked Logan. He turned to Lorelei. "You seemed really scared in the lab back there, and I didn't mean to scare you, but now you don't want me punished, you're crying, you're in here with these two guys glaring at me, and I just don't understand what is happening."

Charles's eyebrows lifted again in his shock at Logan's admission; hearing the Wolverine exposing his confusion to her and asking for answers was out of character, too. The feral's usual _modus operandi_ was claws first, questions later. His self-awareness and calmness while he was with Lorelei revealed something significant about the depth of his feelings for her.

"You're right, Logan, this is unclear, and I want to explain." Lorelei pressed her back into the chair cushion and glanced at Xavier and Hank, both of whom gave her encouraging nods, before she spoke again.

"You remember how I said that although most people have the positive reaction to my powers, I've also seen people who have no reaction at all? And one woman who had a negative reaction?" She saw his recognition of this. "Well, there is also a very small percentage of people whose reaction is more . . . frenzied. Driven. Compulsive. Insane. They are attracted to me like magnets, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. They get their blood up, and the more they are near me or touching me, the worse it gets." She was crying again now. "A while back I was attacked, Logan. I was raped."

Charles watched as Logan ran through a gamut of emotions. His jaw clenched, he balled his fists, his eyes looked like murder for a fleeting moment. Then he re-focused on the woman sobbing in the chair, deliberately softening his expression and getting his anger under control, furrowing his brow to take in her words, and subtly sniffing the air to get a bead on her pheromones. He grabbed the box of tissues from Xavier's desktop, then knelt down before Lorelei, offering it to her with an outstretched hand.

She grabbed a bunch and wiped her face, clearly trying to calm her breathing. "I still get very frightened when people touch me without warning, that's why I ran away just now. It was a reflexive reaction, even though you- I know you wouldn't- I think you feel-"

Logan looked into her eyes, reassuring her, and nodded. He slowly, infinitesimally held out an empty hand to her, suspended in the air between them. She looked back at him, at his offering, and put her small hand in his large one, her entire body's posture relaxing. _She trusts him_, thought Xavier. Logan curled his fingers around hers, then gradually turned the back of her hand toward him. He kissed across her knuckles_ - _twice_ - _and laid her fingers against his cheek. "How could someone do that to you?" he asked.

"We'll leave you both here to talk," broke in the Professor. Although Logan had barely touched her, Charles could not help but feel like a voyeur, intruding on what was clearly an intimate moment between the two. Reassured that Logan had his temper in check and that Lorelei had relaxed in his presence, Xavier waited until she gave her approval, then departed quickly through his office door, Hank in tow.

Outside in the hall, Hank gave a low whistle. "Charles, please forgive my language, but how _in __hell _did she tame the Wolverine?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"You don't have to say anything more, if you don't want to."

"No, I want you to know about me_ - _understand me," said Lorelei. Logan had risen from his kneeling position on the floor, and was now sitting next to her in the other chair in front of Xavier's desk, still holding her hand.

"I lost both of my parents at a pretty young age: car accident. I lived with my grandmother after that, but when she died I was put into foster care, which is where the Professor found me after my mutation surfaced. I was enrolled at school here, I met other mutants, I made friends, I graduated. But I had no idea that my mutant powers were getting greater as I got older_ - _the scent strength I gave off back then wasn't half of what it is now_ - _or that there might be any risk for me because of those 'good vibes.'" She gave a watery smile.

"I was offered a scholarship to M.I.T. for undergrad, and when I got there I was really intimidated; everything was so huge compared to Xavier's school. Because of my mutation, people liked me, even gravitated to me. Since I'm a shy person, though, I really didn't want the attention I attracted. So mostly I just led a quiet life, had some nice friends, studied, and tried to minimize my powers so that I wouldn't stand out.

"I didn't have my first real romantic relationship until my senior year. Dave was a biochemistry major, like me, and intelligent and funny. We'd had a few classes together before, but once we were in this new small lab group, we reconnected. Soon we were spending all our time together_ - _I was so infatuated with him that I didn't notice how hard he was pursuing me, or realize how much more alluring my mutation had become. I, um, lost my virginity with him." She blushed, and Logan's grip on her hand briefly tightened at this, but she ignored it and went on. "He was tender and gentle and patient with me, and I started staying over with him more and more.

"Dave proposed after we'd been together only two months. I was so happy and in love that it didn't occur to me how fast that was, and I had no one else in my life to be concerned about: few friends, no parents. It was after we were engaged that I learned his family is extremely wealthy. He asked me to his parents' apartment_ - _they lived in a ritzy high-rise_ - _to meet them. I could see as soon as we arrived that they were more than just curious about me, they were suspicious. Clearly, given our whirlwind romance I was likely a gold digger, pregnant, or both. His parents relaxed once I greeted and touched them. I knew that was because of my mutation, but I really wanted them to like me, and it wasn't as if I could control the way I made them feel, anyway. If making my future in-laws feel blissful and accepting of my role in their life was because of my influence, I wasn't going to worry about it. Until I met Dave's brother.

"He blew in the door later that evening, and he was already agitated and prejudiced about meeting 'the random whore who's got Dave by the balls,' as he called me. I tried not to let him rattle me, I spoke to him, I shook his hand . . . and nothing. I mentioned to you before that there were people I'd encountered who were completely unaffected by and indifferent to my powers: Dave's brother was the first one I'd ever seen. He never smiled at me, just kept glaring, and finally he noticed around the room that everyone was grinning and doting on me. He got mad, then, and asked if they were all on drugs, because he thought they were all here to talk Dave out of this marriage. He yelled at me, got right up in my face, and ordered me to tell him what the hell I was doing to his brother. I was so scared, I was shaking_ - _no one had ever yelled at me like that before. He told me to leave his parents' house so that the _family_ could talk, and although Dave protested, I had to get out of there, so I kissed my fiancé and asked him to call me later.

"He finally called me three days afterward, his voice sounding completely detached. He broke up with me. He said that being away from me made him realize that he hadn't ever really been in love with me, it was just something that I had done to him, and that I was only marrying him to 'take advantage of his family's situation.' I think his brother realized I was a mutant, but probably didn't completely understand_ - _or care_ - _how I affect people, as long as I was out of their lives. I cried and implored Dave to change his mind, but he was getting off the line as fast as possible. I heard his brother in the background saying, 'just tell that freak to fuck off and leave you alone.' I hung up.

"I was so heartbroken. I studied and went to class, and that was all. I knew that I could never again believe anyone who said he loved me, because no one near me is ever fully in their right mind_ - _they're in thrall. The Siren's song.

"I graduated and entered my doctoral program, and I could tell that my sensory projections were getting stronger. More and more strangers would comment to me about how good I smelled, so I got the job at the bakery to cover my scent. I didn't talk to people unless I had to, and didn't touch anyone at all, or let anyone touch me, so that I would affect people as little as possible.

Then one day, I was walking down a city block when a man ran up behind me on the street and grabbed me, dragged me into an alley in a second. It was broad daylight. He pushed me against the wall, covered my mouth with his hand when I screamed, and raped me. It happened so fast. He was wearing a wedding ring. He wasn't wearing a condom. When he pulled out of me, I jerked my head to the side and vomited on the ground. He took a step back then, shook his head, and he looked completely horrified. He said 'Oh my God. I'm sorry,' and ran away.

"I got treated at a Public Health Center. But I didn't go to the police because I was afraid of what might happen to me if the authorities found out I was a mutant. Senator Kelly was pushing hard for the Mutant Registration Act around this time, and I didn't know how I would be received if I reported a human-on-mutant crime; I was so scared.

But I was more scared because I suspected that he raped me because of my mutation. Inexplicably, certain people_ - _the 'Highly Affecteds,' are what I call them now_ - _get overwhelmed by my sense projections, and can't control themselves once they are near me. I become a single-minded obsession outside of their normal personalities, like they're under hypnosis, or drugged. I realized this when I threw up on the ground after that man raped me: I think that the smell had broken through his reverie so that the mutant powers were not affecting him momentarily, which was why he looked so shocked. He was probably not a sexual predator . . . still, it was terrifying to think that my mutation could inspire a violent reaction in some people.

"I encountered one more Highly Affected person about a month before I graduated_ - _before the Professor came. This time it was while I was working at the bakery, and I was not as surprised since it had happened before, and I had tried to prepare myself to fight back if I was ever threatened again. Luckily, I didn't have to. There were two cops in the store at the time, really early in the morning, and they saw him rush in and grab me, and wrestle my body to the ground underneath him. Thank goodness they were there, because he was much, much stronger than I was. They arrested him for assault, but since I didn't know him, they thought he was just a criminal, or insane. He must have caught my scent from outside, but he never came back there again, because I never saw him after that.

"The Professor's offer to teach here sounded perfect. I didn't want to keep feeling scared that another Highly Affected person will cross my path and abuse me. It felt a little like hiding, but I thought I could let my guard down around other mutants, more than humans. And I knew of Xavier's reputation for training staff members who are protectors, and I trust him. So I told Charles about what had happened to me, and asked him to keep me safe, and I knew that he would."

"And we will," Logan cleared his throat, since it had been several minutes since he'd spoken. "I am so sorry that I brought up those memories when I kissed you in the lab, and I hope that you can forgive me. I would never want you to think I'm forcing myself on you. I want to be the one who makes you feel safe. I want to be with you."

"Logan, I . . . I thought you understood," said Lorelei in an anguished tone. "I can't be with anyone. I was really hopeful when I thought your healing ability blocked me out from influencing you. But after our time in the lab, I see that there is some sway over you, after all. I appreciate your apology, and I'm very attracted to you, but don't you see why I can't? These feelings about me aren't real, they're just the mutation making you want me. I can't have you. Not when I know that my body is controlling your mind and your . . . desire."

"I don't believe that!" said Logan furiously. "I don't believe that it's just these effects making me think that I want you to be mine!" He took a breath in an effort to relax and lower his voice. "This isn't some spell the Siren has me wrapped up in_ - _I know this is you. What you say to me. The way you move. How great you are to the kids here. Your desire to shield everyone else from yourself, when, dammit, you're the sweetest- that you are- that I'm falling-" He broke off.

"Me, too." She was thrilling to his words. Looking down at her hand in his, she leveled her voice and spoke. "I want to be with you, too. But Logan, I'm 28 years old and I've had these walls up for a long time; I don't know how to let you in. What are we supposed to do?"

"Baby, I don't have answers, either," he said. "But I think that we just do what feels right for us. We'll take things slowly.

"So for now, what I'd love to do is take you to the kitchen and get you some dinner. Then you can hit the hay, because I bet you're exhausted. We'll have time to figure this out," he added, lacing his fingers through hers and pressing them to his chest. "I'm not going anywhere."

She nodded as he rose to his feet, pulling her along with him. He looked down at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling up as he looked at her questioningly for her response. She rose up on her tiptoes_ - _gradually, to telegraph to him what she was doing_ - _and planted a kiss just to the side of his mouth, her lips brushing his wiry beard. She smiled, rubbed the end of her nose against his, repeated "Baby?" and softly kissed him.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Later that night, Logan was walking Lorelei to her room at the mansion, his hand warm and firm on the small of her back. They passed Charles on the way, so after wishing her good night, Logan caught up to where the older mutant waited in his wheelchair, expecting a conversation.

"She told me_ - _everything," Logan said bluntly. "You knew?" His voice had a thread of steel in it.

Xavier nodded. "But it wasn't my history to share, Logan. She had to tell you herself, in her own time," he finished, sounding the tiniest bit reproving of Logan's reaction.

The tension in the Wolverine's sinewy forearms relaxed slightly as he processed this.

Charles watched his reaction, continuing, "I get the impression that she means something more to you than just a coworker."

"Not really your business, bub," growled Logan. But he relented. "Yeah, I mean_ - _I want her to, and I think she does, too. I know she's been through a lot. You gonna tell me to stay clear so I don't hurt her?"

"No, Logan. I was premature in cautioning you earlier; I can see your feelings are genuine. I should not have assumed that you weren't equipped to provide the emotional depth and support she needs in a partner. And I hope you don't mind me saying so, but I've observed that in the time she's been here, you seem . . . different. You were very empathetic and attentive to her by giving her an audience to express her story and a chance to heal. She needs that understanding and security."

"She's not like anyone I've ever known before," agreed Logan. "She's real, and so rare, and she makes me want to be . . . worthy of her. I want to show her that she can feel safe here. And I'd like to go kill the fuckers who violated her."

"I don't see how relocating those men would be helpful, or even possible. You do much more for her with your presence here, and your kindness. Although," said Charles in a casual tone, "I'd like to, also."

"Thankfully she didn't get pregnant."

"Actually, most mutants are sterile, reproductively speaking. But a cause for gratitude, in this case."

"Mmmhmm," grunted Logan. "Look, Chuck? Bottom line is: I'll take care of her. Even if you might wish it was Scott doing that instead of me."

"No," denied Charles. "I don't. You two need each other."

Logan gave him one final stare. "Thanks."

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After that, Lorelei put their lab experiment on hold. With the intensity of their last workday's encounter permeating the atmosphere of the medical room, she decided her self-research could wait, and she wanted a chance to get to know Logan outside of that. Instead, she devoted her scientific side completely to the students in her classes, and she gradually began to open up more of her well-concealed self to her- her-_What do I call him? _She wondered._ 'Boyfriend' is too juvenile a word for such a man._ They got to know one another leisurely during long walks, arrived early in the kitchen to greet over coffee, and stayed up late talking in the study after the students were in bed.

Every meal saw them sitting together, Lorelei eating neatly while Logan paid her court like a true gentleman, pulling out her chair for her to sit on and so on. He sat beside her so formally, Xavier wondered whether they'd decided against pursuing a romantic relationship with one another, after all.

That is, until one day he rounded a corner and saw them making out in a dim section of hallway between the study and a classroom. Logan was leaning his long body back against the wall, his head bent down to hers to facilitate his mouth's exertions on her red, swollen lips. Her arms were locked around his neck, her fingertips brushing each of his shoulders, and his two hands that splayed on her hip and between her shoulder blades, respectively, were crushing her body tightly to his. The heat coming off the two of them was almost visible.

Charles immediately reversed his direction, slipping silently away across the thick carpet before he heard in Logan's head that the Wolverine had caught his scent. "'Scuse us," called out a rumbly, slightly amused voice.

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The weeks went by and the end of the school year approached, signifying the matriculation into the next grade level for current students, and graduation for the seniors. In the dining room, Xavier was describing to Lorelei the typical schedule of events for their annual Field Day, held on the first day of vacation that the continuing students had between school terms.

"By the way, I'm _not_ reffing the three-legged race again this year," Logan interjected as he came in from the kitchen. He had a bottle of water in his hand, which he handed to Lorelei before kissing the top of her head. She craned her neck to smile at him, whispering a _thank-you_ and catching the tips of his fingers to kiss them back. "You take all those klutzy kids and tie them together, it's pretty much a given that they are going to be falling down everywhere and on me. Last time I was sure someone was going to crack a skull on my adamantium."

At a nearby table, Scott listened to Wolverine's story, but did not fail to notice the exchange with their sciences teacher and rub it in. "Wow. Since when have you become such a softie, Logan? Lorelei brings out a whole new sweetie side to you."

"Go fuck yourself, Scott."

Logan glared at Cyclops as he settled into the chair next to Lorelei's, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, and wrapping his other hand around the one of hers that was not being used to sip from her water bottle. She then passed the bottle companionably over to him and he put his lips on the nozzle where hers had just been, taking a gulp before the Professor rolled his eyes and continued speaking.

"Yes, admittedly we've had a few very minor injuries in the past, but most of the day is all in good fun. I need help with refereeing from all of our staff members for the various events and races throughout the day, and the culmination of it all is a soccer match, followed by a barbecue. The students enjoy themselves immensely, and it's a fulfilling reward for their hard work at the end of the school year."

"It sounds fun, and I can't wait to participate," said Lorelei. "What can I do to help plan?"

The remaining school days rushed by in a hurricane of final examinations, grading last assignments, and planning for the Field Day. On the last day of school, Lorelei made use of the huge dining table to spread out her cascade of papers, correcting tests and calculating the percentages earned so that she could post them for the students in the morning, before the Field Day. Logan relaxed next to her, his knee touching hers under the table, and his nose and lips occasionally nuzzling her ear while she worked. He was affectionate and considerate of her, kissing and touching, but never pushing her to broaden the physical horizons of their relationship, which she appreciated. After spending the last year with Xavier's little family, she was finally starting to feel like she could put the most painful parts of her past behind her and breathe easy. She leaned a bit away from Logan's touch so that she could look him in the eyes. "I have something to tell you."

He looked at her, interested, but with a little cautious curiosity as well. "Okay."

"I've decided to turn down the Fellowship I was offered during grad school. I feel now that this is where I belong: with others like me. I just- I realized that I can't give this up, this sense of safety, and accomplishment. I asked Xavier if I could stay on as an instructor here, for now. Teaching with mutants has its own complications, of course, but here I can be myself_ - _the real me_ - _for the first time in so long.

"And I . . . I want to stay here with you, too," she said, some of her old shy blush making its way to her face.

"I may not be _here_ forever."

"I know."

"But I hope that wherever I am, _you_ are still there with me. I'm really, really glad to hear you aren't leaving, now that you've found your place," he said, picking up her hand. "And you know, that isn't what I thought you were going to tell me."

"What did you think I'd say?"

"I love you."

She froze, never having heard him say it before, and unsure of how she should react to this, when he raised their linked hands to his mouth and kissed twice across her knuckles. "Lorelei, I love you," he repeated.

"I love you, too," she breathed. She leaned in and kissed him thoroughly. "Thank you for letting me take the time to figure out how I feel. Thank you for not rushing us to be ready to_ - _to move things along between us."

His face clouded. "You don't have to thank me for doing something I should do anyway," he growled, trying to drive the thought of her struggling with a faceless villain out of his mind. "Baby, I told you: I'm not going anywhere."

She felt tears spring to her eyes as he opened his arms, then enfolded her in them, holding her for a long, long time.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The students' cries of "Field Day! Field Day!" began first thing in the morning, but they were not allowed to go outside until after breakfast, when they finally beheld the array of games, decorations, event stations and obstacle courses that the faculty had set up. Running from place to place across the lawn, the kids zoomed around, often nearly crashing into one another, as Logan had predicted. He darted away from a pair of exuberant young boys, looking around when he heard Lorelei call his name.

"There you are." She appeared. Logan took a sharp intake of breath when he saw what she was wearing. A smooth white cotton sundress dotted with tiny blue flowers swathed her waist in a snug bodice, its gathered skirt pleating and cascading down over her hips to fall demurely just above her knees. Only two skinny little straps held it up over her shoulders, giving him an almost uninterrupted view of the pale, creamy skin above where her breasts filled out the top of the dress. He realized this meant she wasn't wearing a bra, and he groaned aloud.

"Mmm," he said in a low voice. "I liiike this dress." He slid his big hands across either side of her ribcage and around to her back, his fingertips grazing her spine as he pulled her close to him and dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder. She turned her face up to his to kiss him, noting as she did so that she could feel his erection beginning to grow in his jeans. Too soon, she reluctantly broke off the kiss, eyes looking steadily into his; but, mindful of the teens milling around them, she stepped back and began walking to her assigned station of duty for the day, throwing him a coy look back over her shoulder as she left.

"Geez, Logan_ - _like the outdoors, much?" Logan tore his eyes from Lorelei's retreating form to see Rogue approaching, not trying to hide her amusement at the bulge below his belt. Shifting to relieve his discomfort, Logan threw her a glare, but shoved at her shoulder good-naturedly as she passed. "Show's over, Rogue_ - _keep walking."

The day was a whirlwind of activity that the students loved, finally winding down after the soccer game was over, the entire campus now single-mindedly bent on inhaling their barbecue dinner and heading in to the school's large library to watch a movie on the projector screen. As almost everyone headed inside, Lorelei sat on the ground along the sidelines of the soccer field, leaning back on her hands and stretching her grass-stained feet in front of her, having discarded her sandals some hours earlier. Across the grass, Logan padded toward her also with bare feet, this lack of shoes, his ribbed white tank top, and the holes in the knees of his well-worn jeans being his only acknowledgements of the heat of the day. He had a hamburger in his hand with several huge bites taken out of it, and he now held it out to her.

"Want to share with me, Babe? I thought you might be hungry. Oh yeah, who won the game? I was working the grill," he added as he plopped down in the grass beside her.

"Red team," she said, taking the proffered burger. "Thank you, I was starving," she added between bites. She sighed with satisfaction when she was finished.

"Oh yes, I keep my woman fed," teased the Wolverine, wrapping his arm around her, and scooting her closer until her hip bumped his. Resting a hand on her knee, he kissed her shoulder again before sticking out his tongue and giving her skin a short flick. "I taste sunscreen, but I still taste you underneath it."

She giggled, and reached her arm between the two of them and around his back before pressing her lips to his. Opening her mouth to deepen the kiss, she raised her free hand and lightly scraped her fingernails on one of his bare biceps, earning her a slight shiver and low growl from Logan before he tightened his arm around her waist and put some more intensity into his tongue's explorations of hers. She pressed her body against his, her breasts squishing very pleasantly against the firm planes of his abdomen. The hand he had on her knee started caressing and rubbing the soft white skin on the inside of her leg.

She lifted the hem of his shirt in the back, where it met his jeans, and slipped her fingers underneath to his bare skin, scratching at the hair at the small of his back before sliding her fingertips lower, dipping them down beneath his waistband. Pressing and circling along his sensitive skin, she confirmed for herself that Logan must consider underwear to be a waste of time.

He caught her eye, his own gaze slake with desire, but he flicked his glance down at his hand on her leg, then back up to her, silently asking for her permission. She responded by parting her legs slightly, and kissing him fiercely while she tried to press her body even closer to his. His hand drifted up to massage her thigh underneath her skirt, skating over her tender skin until his fingertips inched onto her panties, stroking gently across the damp spot he found there. He moaned quietly into her mouth, then all at once scooped her up onto his lap, his arms wrapped around her and his forehead pressed against hers as he tried to take deep breaths to regain his focus, despite the fact that her cute little ass was now pressing directly down on the hardness in his groin.

"Baby, I have to take you indoors now, before I explode," he breathed. "Will you come with me?"

She nodded eagerly, gasping as he squeezed her and lifted them both to their feet, then guided her back toward the mansion, a strong arm around her waist that occasionally wandered down to her butt. Once inside, he seemed to hesitate, so she surprised them both by taking charge and leading him by the hand to the door of her bedroom. Their bare feet were now colliding as they tried to maneuver their way over to her bed without breaking the contact of their lips. Lorelei stumbled and might have fallen, but Logan caught her body, standing her securely upright before whipping off his sleeveless shirt.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, giving her a more slow, deliberate kiss while running his fingers underneath the straps of her dress, from her shoulder blades up and over her collarbone and down the slope of her chest. One big, warm palm cupped each of her breasts over her dress, then compressed them gently and dropped down to her hips, pulling her in close. Running his hands up her back, he grasped the zipper at the top of her dress before breaking off their kiss to look searchingly into her eyes, whispering his question out loud this time. "Okay?"

"Okay." She responded with certainty.

He eased the zipper all the way down, tickling his fingers back up her spine before moving over to her straps, sliding them off her shoulders and along her arms until the dress fell into a puddle on the floor at her feet.

At the sight of her standing there, wearing nothing but a pair of panties, Logan felt such a hard throb in his cock that he almost came instantly. _I need to slow down, _he thought,_ before I make a mess of these jeans. I don't want anyone who was placing bets on how the Wolverine would finally die to find out that it was from embarrassment. _

It _had_ been a long time since he'd had sex. After Jean's death, he went out blind with grief and fury to a local dive two nights in a row, to get drunk and fuck some bleached-blonde barfly. On separate nights, that is; not only did it take a determined effort and a lot of liquor to get him drunk, he thought it was too risky to have sex with a human while he was drinking, in case he hurt someone. So he was sober when he screwed Blondie in the bathroom of the bar, then hopped back on his motorcycle to continue brooding alone. Since then, his sex life had consisted of ignoring his blue balls while he waited patiently for the right moment with Lorelei. She was worth the wait, but damn, he was glad that the right moment was now.

He put his arms around her, almost reverentially, and kissed her very softly before laying her down on her bed, positioning himself alongside her. His hands roved back over her breasts, bare this time, and he grinned to himself as his touch caused her to break out in goosebumps. He bent down and took a nipple between his lips, sucking slightly before teasing it with his tongue, causing her to writhe on the duvet and make a small "_Ah!_" sound. He kneaded and gently pinched the other nipple with his fingers, then slid his arms underneath and around her, pressing her against his body.

She wormed a hand between them, jerking open the button-fly of his jeans and extending her fingers to explore the nest of hair inside. He helped her out by deftly sliding the worn denim down his long legs, assisting it over his joints with his feet. Naked, he rose up over her, propped on his elbows and knees, and kissed her mouth, face, jaw, and lovely white throat. Her fingers were palpating the ridges of muscle on his abdomen, then trailed down to wrap around his erection, alternating between stroking it up and down and carefully squeezing it.

His lips trailed up her neck, where the whispers of his breath tickled inside her ear, causing her to grip a little harder, and then she released him, almost panting with want. He crept lower on the bed, between her legs, spreading his big hands out over her torso and feeling his calloused skin's contact with her silkiness. Kissing her everywhere he'd touched, he hooked his index fingers into the top of her panties, then tugged them gradually down her body to slip them off.

Doing so revealed a tiny shooting star tattoo on her left hip. Pleasantly surprised, he tapped it with a finger and asked, "What's this?" She lifted her head up to see, then gave a nervous giggle.

"It's silly_ - _I always forget it's there. My best friend and I got matching ones when we graduated Xavier's School together. Sort of a rite of passage thing, I guess." She sounded embarrassed, and said without looking at him, "Impulsive teen moment. Do you not like it?"

"Oh, I like it," he assured her. "Impulsive is good. And now there's a little surprise down here just for me to see." His eyes, dark with lust, raked over her body before he pressed his mouth to the tattoo, kissing it, then gently biting it. She gave a little squeal, but he encased her hips in his hands and started licking the sweet-tasting skin of her stomach and nuzzling it with his nose. Working lower bit by bit, he exhaled warm breath onto the dark curly hair between her legs, then applied his tongue to the slick flesh beneath. Making a small whimper, she reached down to put her hands on his head, giving a satisfying tug to his hair and sighing a stuttering little sound.

"Hmm-mmm, you taste so good," he said, unsure of whether he'd be capable of coherent speech for much longer. "Oh- Baby- Lorelei, I have to be inside you. Now. Will you let me make love to you?" His eyes were searching hers carefully for reassurance, ensuring that she felt as ready as he did.

"Yes, Logan." The words had hardly left her mouth when he sprang into action in a flurry of movement, grabbing his jeans and yanking a condom out of a pocket. He rolled it securely down the length of his shaft, then leaned back over Lorelei, kissing her fervently while his fingers parted her and guided himself inside.

She exhaled as she felt him slowly fill her up, and he pulled his head back to assess her expression, holding still once he was sheathed completely in her body. She smiled at him, with one hand reaching up to his cheek, and the other running through the hair on the back of his neck, and she whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too." His voice came out slightly stilted, supported over her by his elbows, and clenching his trembling muscles with the effort of remaining motionless, and not thrusting into her senselessly, as the animal within him wanted to do. He looked down at her beautiful, perfect body, with its fair skin, deep blue eyes surrounded by sooty lashes, and soft brown hair curving off her forehead as she lay beneath him. While part of him wished he could admire her longer, buried deep inside her, the dull ache in his balls was too much to ignore, and finally he started to move, his motions shallow at first to ensure that their joining was comfortable for her.

She drew her hands down his shoulders and gripped his two muscular forearms, parting her pink lips as her breathing grew heavier, and she lifted her hips up to meet his in time to the rhythm he set for their lovemaking. As his strokes picked up speed, she gasped, mashing her head backward into the pillow. She gave a brief little whine, then moaned low: "Oooh, Logan."

Hearing her call his name like that completely undid him. He came, experiencing those exquisite spasms as he filled the condom with his seed. Making a few grunting noises, but momentarily not caring what sounds he emitted as he rode out his completion in her tight warmth, Logan then lay briefly on top of her in total bliss. Folding his knees up behind him, he sat back on his heels and scooped her into his lap in one swift motion, positioning her legs straddled on either side of his, and pressing them chest to chest to prevent him from slipping out of her.

Shooting her a look loaded with potential, he wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her in place, then bent his head to lavish attention on one nipple with his mouth, his other hand slipping down to where he could feel the base of his shaft before it disappeared inside her. Reveling in this physical evidence of their consummation for a moment, he manipulated his fingers above there to press and stroke against her sensitive swollen spot, at the same time using his lips to suckle harder on her, delicately nipping with his teeth. He was thrilled when her body yielded to his touch, her orgasm causing her walls to clench around him, and a series of breathy gasps escaped her lips before she collapsed against him bonelessly. He kissed and licked at the sheen of perspiration on her skin between her breasts, then laid her back down on the bed while he darted off to dispose of the condom.

Pulling back the sheets, he climbed in and she immediately rolled over against him, throwing one leg over his and pillowing her head on his chest below his collarbone. He threaded his fingers through her hair and gripped the nape of her neck for a moment, kissing her on the temple before they both fell immediately asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lorelei awoke just after dawn, the grey light making everything in her bedroom barely visible once her open eyes had adjusted. The warm, solid body next to her was still deeply asleep, making hearty inhalations that were almost_ - _but not quite_ - _snores. She would have liked to stay in bed with him longer, but his hand resting heavily on her bare abdomen made other needs more pressing. She scooted out from under the weighty limb pressing down on her bladder and tiptoed into the bathroom adjoining her bedroom. Once finished, she contemplated herself in the mirror.

_Bright eyes and rosy cheeks for 5:30a.m.,_ she thought with a smirk. _I guess sex with Logan agrees with me. _

She recalled his sweetness from the night before, how he'd been sure he asked her permission before moving things forward, physically, and how he'd turned his awareness to her body to make sure she felt as satisfied as he before they passed out. She thought about how long it had been since she had sex (_consensual sex_, she corrected herself angrily, pushing that particular unwelcome memory out of her current reverie), and felt her face grow hot and her insides clench at the thought of what it felt like when Logan slid inside her.

She'd never known anyone like him before. Although he was gruff and somewhat rude to most of the other adults at the school, he was only ever kind, even solicitous, to her. At first she was fearful, as she'd told him, that this was because of her mutation, but after awhile she had noticed a crucial difference. People who were affected by her 'good vibes' were just happy_ - _they were nice to everyone. Logan was only nice to her. Which worked just fine, most of the time; the other instructors were used to him and his moodiness, and he was always affectionate and glad to see her. It was his straightforwardness in particular, combined with his supremely protective tendencies, that gave her hope for them in the long term. He gave her security in every way, and she was excited that last night they'd finally decided to propel their relationship forward.

Which brought up her next dilemma: what to wear back to bed? Her inexperience wracked her with indecision. Normally in the summer, she wore a plain black nightgown, a soft knit with tank straps, which was both cool and comfortable. Her meager collection of lacy lingerie from her one previous boyfriend had been tossed out long ago during her moratorium on a love life. Sultry women in movies often went to bed in cleavage-enhancing pushup bras, but _yuck_, she vetoed. _No way am I wearing uncomfortable underwire in bed._

The answer was right in front of her, of course: stay nude. Although she'd only been naked in front of him the once and it was not her first inclination to feel brazen enough to parade around in the buff, she felt confident it would get a positive reaction from Logan. She nodded once to herself in the mirror and opened the door to the bedroom.

Logan had kicked off the covers and was wide awake looking at her, lying with muscular arms folded behind his head and legs stretched out straight, giving her a first-class view of his long, naked, powerfully-built form. She forgot all about her body bashfulness as she stared at him. _Oh my, he's magnificent,_ she thought. _Try not to drool. _

"Mornin', Baby," his lips parted slowly to reveal his teeth in a sexy smile, looking like he wanted to eat her. "C'mere."

She blossomed beneath his stare, and walked over to stand by the bed, where he languidly reached out an arm and fastened his hand onto her ass. Making eye contact, he spoke again: "You look even more beautiful now than you did last night."

She bent forward, kissing him and then plastering her body the length of his, skin to skin. After a moment of earnest kissing (_Without brushing teeth!_), his erection was pressing rigidly into her pelvis.

"Do you have- another-?" she asked haltingly.

"Condom? Yeah," he answered, flailing for his jeans on the ground. She snapped them up, patting the pockets until she found the little square package. Ripping it open, she had it on in a flash and positioned herself over him, sinking down onto him in one quick motion. His hands flew up to grip her hips, a groan of ecstasy slipping out of his mouth as he held her still for a moment. Then he relented his pressure and she began rocking with movement, grinding down onto him and definitely enjoying his array of pleasured expressions. She braced her hands on his chest, fingers exploring through the hair there, to give herself a better angle to leverage herself on top of him.

Logan gazed up at her, admiring the view of her just-fucked hair and her breasts bouncing wonderfully from the rhythm of her hips. He watched her from his position of repose a while longer, then slid his hands up the sides of her body, briefly hefting her breasts and then lodging his hands under her armpits to lift her slightly. Rolling them over as one unit, he loomed above her, aware of a stirring from his base animal within. She'd looked incredible riding him, but now he felt a primal urge telling him to lay claim to his female underneath him, and service her until neither of them could stand up.

Plus, he had a manly desire to prove to her that he could last longer than the measly couple of minutes from last night (really, he'd been surprised he hadn't come sooner than that, given how long it had been since he'd had sex), and he could do _that_ a lot better if he was in charge. Slowing their pace slightly, he lifted one of her knees to change the angle of his penetration, taking his cue from her face that this was a good decision. He looked down to watch his cock sinking in to her, brushing his fingers across her sensitive bundle of nerve endings and enjoying it when she jumped a little. He continued this stimulation, rubbing and rolling and gently pinching her flesh with his fingers, picking up his tempo when she quickened her breathing. Feeling her body squeeze him deep inside as she cried out, he paused and let her float on the rolling waves of pleasure for a moment before he started thrusting into her more strongly, grabbing each of her legs to throw over his shoulders and ensure that he couldn't possibly bury himself any deeper in her.

Building toward his own orgasm, he felt her clenching her leg muscles and scrabbling at the bedclothes with her fingernails: she was on the edge again, herself. He was so close, and after he lifted her hips up slightly she came a second time, making a low moan and taking him along with her as her tender, swollen muscles fluttered and gripped him. He felt himself empty, and once that moment was complete and the condom removed, he returned to energetically cuddle her naked body in the bed; grabbing, fondling, and kissing her.

"Can we wake up like that every morning?" His voice was so deep that she could feel the vibrations of his speech in her chest. She laughed.

"Definitely. Mmm, what time is it? Maybe we should shower."

"Together?" He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she blushed as she realized this implication of her suggestion. He noticed, and pulled her in tight to him as he teased her a little.

"Lorelei, I've just touched you everywhere_ - _are you really going to get shy at the thought of showering together? Besides, I'm not sure I want you to shower yet. Right now, you smell like me. All over. And that is sexy as _hell_." He punctuated this speech by reaching down and inserting a finger between her legs, making her gasp, then slowly withdrawing it and putting it in his mouth. "Mmmhmm."

He let his wet finger drift over until it touched her nipple, encircling it a few times before he just let his whole hand settle possessively onto her breast. _Hmm, two can play at that game_, she thought, impressed at her own boldness. She skimmed her palm down the trail of hair below his navel, softly stroked his cock, and continued her hand's journey down to his testicles. Scooping them into her hand, she began to massage them, deftly using her fingers to caress, lightly scratch, tug, and squeeze for a little while. He exhaled a long, satisfied sigh, shifting his hips to bump against hers, and she could see that he was already half-hard again. Feeling gratified at the effect she had on him, she removed her hand and swung her legs off the edge of the bed, grabbing his arm to pull him along.

"C'mon, Honey," she coaxed. "You'll like this, I promise."

Leading the way to the bathroom, she turned on the water in the shower, then got out an extra towel for Logan and set it on the counter. Backing into the shower stall with her eyes on him, she felt the spray hit her back and she closed her eyes and extended her head, allowing the water to drench her hair, forehead, and run in rivulets down her chest. Logan gave a little growl at seeing this, and joined her under the warm water in no time.

They rubbed their wet, slippery bodies against each other, kissing and groping. Finally, Lorelei reached for the bar of soap, creating a lather with her hands, then turned her attention to his cock, soaping down his length and all around. Positioning Logan so the cascade of water rinsed him off, she looked at his face, full of desire, and informed him, "I didn't want you to taste like latex."

His eyes widened in comprehension, and she knelt before him in the shower and grasped his member, giving the tip a lick and a kiss before taking him into her mouth, causing him to mutter a strangled "Lor-!" She ran her hands up his sinewy thighs and dug her fingernails into his buttocks. Sucking and sliding over him, she looked up through half-closed lids and saw his mouth gaping open and his eyes squeezed shut, almost as if he was in pain_ - _a very, very good pain. She felt so wanton and powerful knowing that she could make him feel so much pleasure, the way he did to her. Suddenly, he put his hand on her head and carefully eased her off of him, lifting her by her elbow to her feet.

"Aahh- Baby- I'm going to-" he grunted, leaning forward with his hand on the shower wall as he exploded. Lorelei had never watched a man ejaculate before, and she felt a thrill of intimacy with Logan to be allowed to see him so shattered, in addition to feeling somewhat depraved and, surprisingly: really, really hot.

Turning suddenly to face her, his eyes dark and wanting, he switched off the water and grabbed her ass with both hands, hoisting her up to his waist. Holding her, he stepped out of the shower, managing to grab the extra towel on his way before he headed back to her bed. Flinging the towel in a heap on the bed, and dropping her wet body on top of it, he put his hands on her knees and spread her legs apart. Creeping toward her on the bed while making a deep, bestial noise in his chest, he stopped his pursuit abruptly and said, "Oh, shit, Baby_ - _is this okay? Am I scaring you?"

"A little_ - _but not really," she said breathlessly. She thought for a moment, trying to think of how to express herself. "I trust you, Logan. And . . . I want you. Now. A lot. I don't think any of that will change, but I will tell you if it does, and if we need to stop."

"Thank you," he said, relieved. "Because," he grinned, continuing his prowling on all fours before her, "I'm in the mood to play."

He captured her hips, forcing her to remain still while he brought his face very, very close to the apex of her thighs. She wanted to squirm away from his laser stare, but he looked so serious . . . right up until he turned his head and nipped the inside of her leg. A laugh escaped from his mouth after she yelped, and he pounced on her, licking and sucking in the same exquisite oral torture she'd inflicted on him. She was so turned on, she came unraveled in seconds, moaning and gasping from his skill.

"Shh, shh Baby," whispered Logan. "The kids are probably getting up now_ - _I don't want them to come in here to see if you're being murdered."

That made her giggle a little. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

He rose up over her to kiss her, and she could taste herself on his lips: another first. She ran her fingertips over his eyebrows and remarked, "Huh, not a lot of privacy here, I guess. I like teaching the kids, but I'm kind of a private person, after all."

"Me, too. Initially, I wasn't going to stay here very long. But I did eventually find someone worth hanging around for," he added, dropping soft, sucky little kisses on her neck. "I kind of always thought I would head back up to Canada, to the woods. These woods," he gestured with a handful of her wet hair, taking a deep whiff to catch the scent of fir trees that he loved. "Build a little cabin, get a dog, catch some fish . . . keep things simple."

"Simple meaning alone?" she asked frankly, trying not to sound too hopeful for the contrary.

"Nope. Not necessarily. I mean, I'd like it if you were there, too, if you wanted to be." Hope was creeping into his voice, too.

"I do," she said plainly. His mouth captured hers again at this, and he slid his arms beneath her body to cradle her against his chest. Their kiss eventually deepened and their hands started wandering over one another, causing each of them to wonder privately how much sex they were capable of in one day, and in the same thought each vowing to find out.

With the weight of Logan's body pressed heatedly on top of Lorelei's, they breathed into each other and simultaneously reached down between them, guiding his hardness to slip completely inside her, feeling full, wet, and tight for them both. Logan kept his arms snug around her, thrusting harder and harder, his whiskered cheek lying in veneration on her breast as she wrapped her arms around him, too, welcoming him to her.

Listening for her little panting noises to quicken, a sound with which he was now becoming familiar, Logan rose up on his elbows, placing his forehead against hers and putting even more effort into his strokes. This effort paid off as they reached the peak together, making appreciative noises as they melted into warm stickiness.

Feeling her pulse beat against his chest, Logan felt a flash of panic. _Fuck. What did we just do?_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

He rolled off of her, completely missing the look of surprise she gave him, and he yanked the damp bath towel up off the bed, shoving it perplexingly at her groin.

"I'm so sorry, Baby, I should've kept myself under control_ - _I'm an animal. I didn't mean to take you like that." His eyes were wild.

"Logan!" She spoke up, to get his attention, and put her hands on his shoulders. "I said that I would tell you if we needed to stop. I still trust this; my feelings haven't changed. It was my impulsive decision to have unprotected sex, too. And towels," she pushed the fluffy object to the side, "don't actually negate it."

"I know," he said quietly. "I thought that you'd be repulsed, and want to clean up."

"It's not repulsive," she said immediately. "It's us. It's intimate. I- I loved feeling you touch me like that. You didn't do anything I wasn't willing to do, even without the condom this time." She stroked his hair and scooted closer, kissing his temple. "We'll be more careful."

He hugged her tightly, his alarm subsiding, and he consoled himself that at least he'd worn condoms very strictly in his past, even though his healing ability could always keep him disease-free regardless. Because the last thing he'd want now would be for Lorelei to have this in common with any of the previous women he'd had sex with. (_Sluts_, he admitted in his head. His standards had not been high.)

Plus, Xavier had said most mutants were sterile and couldn't have kids, anyway. "There's that," he said under his breath.

"What, Baby?"

"Nothing, Lor. We should get dressed. I think there's less chance of the Wolverine pinning you to the bed and going for another round if we aren't naked."

She looked a little pained at his self-deprecating joke, but complied anyway, using the bathroom privately before getting dressed and tying back her hair in preparation for another hot summer day. The clock now read that it was past noon, and she thought he'd feel revived, as would she, after getting some food.

00000000000000

The cool kitchen was crowded, with Kurt, Scott and Ororo leaning against the countertops, and several students weaving their way out with leftover Field Day hot dogs and sodas in hand. As Logan and Lorelei walked in, Nightcrawler jerked his blue face up to get Scott's attention, then nodded his head at the two new arrivals grabbing food, extending his open palm as well. "Pay up," he said curtly.

Scott glared at the Wolverine, reaching for his wallet and thumbing through the bills inside. "You cost me. Kurt bet me that you wouldn't stop bangin' until after lunchtime. I just didn't think you'd have that kind of stamina_ - _Siren notwithstanding," he added mock-apologetically.

Lorelei rolled her eyes, grateful that Logan already had a giant mouthful of cold hamburger from the fridge, and was not in a position to provide Cyclops with the heated reaction he clearly wanted.

"Don't be such a pain, Scott," she said, rubbing her hands together near his face to create friction, in hopes that some of her mutant powers would overwhelm his senses with contentedness. He gave her a naughty look, but smiled.

Xavier entered the room, taking in the arm that Logan had draped around Lorelei's waist, and the way she leaned in to his body. "Good to see that you are all relaxing and enjoying your vacation. The next term is going to be a full one; enrollment is up."

"That's wonderful_ - _I'm so glad that there are so many young mutants whose lives we can aid," said Storm.

"Yes, including quite a few older students," noted Charles. "Lorelei, I've been speaking with Hank about offering an Anatomy/Physiology science class, as we've had a few expressions of interest in future pre-med studies. We'll be ordering some new equipment, and I thought that you could put together a list of essentials for the Chemistry lab at the same time."

Her eyes lit up at the thought of buying new laboratory supplies. "I'd be glad to!"

"There is a catalog from the company in Dr. McCoy's office-"

"I'll help you go get it," Logan interrupted, abruptly pushing off the kitchen counter and shoulder-checking Cyclops as he pulled Lorelei by her fingertips toward the door, leaving the surprised and slightly amused faculty behind.

Once in the hallway, Lorelei stopped. "Logan?"

"I think we've spent enough time socializing. I stuck three granola bars and an apple in my pockets_ - _I think those are enough rations to spend the rest of the day in bed. Sound good?"

She giggled. "I have a bottle of water and a chocolate-chip cookie_ - _a big one. But can we really go get the catalog first?" she pleaded.

He kissed her nose. "Mmm, you are so sexy when you get to buy new beakers. Of course_ - _lead the way."

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Thankfully, there were a few weeks before the academic term began, as the summer break saw Logan and Lorelei with a wastebasket full of energy bar and condom wrappers, a bed that never got made, a lot of sweet pillow talk, and two very satisfied libidos.

Coming up behind her while she brushed her hair in the bathroom mirror, Logan slipped his hands underneath her shirt and hugged around her breasts while he kissed her neck as punctuation for every word he spoke: "You. Smell. So. Good."

Leaning his face away from her hairbrush, he buried his nose at the nape of her neck, and noted, "You smell different, too. It _is_ something good_ - _and kinda familiar_ - _but it's new."

"Hmm, I know that tone," she warned him. "Babe, we can't have sex right now; the staff meeting starts in fifteen minutes."

He gave her a lopsided smile and unhooked her bra with one hand. "Just give me two, Love."

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As it happened, they were still early to the meeting, arriving in Xavier's office ahead of the other faculty members, who they could see were finishing up a meal in the dining room as they passed by on the way. The Professor had his back to them, looking for something in a filing cabinet, as he called out "Welcome Logan, Lorelei! And who is your companion?"

"Huh?" asked Logan, heading toward a comfortable chair.

"I just meant," said Xavier, turning from his drawer to face them, "that I'd like you to introduce whoever is with-" He broke off suddenly, eyes bouncing frenetically between the two of them.

"Professor Xavier?" asked Lorelei.

"Oh. Oh! Ooh . . . " Charles intoned in panicked surprise.

"Spit it out, Chuck_ - _you're scaring us!" snarled Logan.

"I'm sorry," Xavier composed himself. "When you entered my office just now, I registered three brain signatures."

"Don't you always?" asked Lorelei. "There are three of us in here."

"No," Xavier replied. "Three new signatures coming in."

"So that means . . . " started Logan.

"And you think . . . " puzzled Lorelei.

"Yes," said Xavier. "Lorelei: you're pregnant."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Just then, the rest of the faculty members_ - _Hank, Scott, Ororo and Kurt_ - _walked through the door, in time to catch Xavier's words.

"Oh my!" gasped Storm, clapping her hands to her mouth when the roomful of people turned to look at her. "I'm sorry, Lorelei! We were just coming in_ - _we didn't mean to eavesdrop!"

"Charles, are you sure?" asked Hank.

"How the fuck could that happen?" questioned Scott.

"How the fuck do you _think_ it happened?" snapped Logan.

"But what will this mean?" broke in Ororo.

"Has this ever happened before?" Kurt addressed Xavier.

"Not in my lifetime," said Charles.

"Excuse me," whispered Lorelei, running from the office with tears in her eyes.

Logan was one step behind her, flinging open the door to a study down the hall, whisking her inside, and shutting the door after them. He sat in a huge wing chair and pulled her into his lap, letting her bury her face in his chest. "Just give this a minute, Lorelei. Then we can talk."

She lifted her teary face. "How can you be so calm?"

He shrugged. "I'm an edgy prick all the time_ - _I think I'll let you freak out for us both right now and I'll hold you steady."

She gave a little laugh, then leaned her head on his shoulder, breathing in time with him for a few minutes. "What are we going to do?"

"What's done is done," he assured her. "We'll figure it out_ - _together. Honestly? I think I'm kind of glad about this for us, even though we didn't do it on purpose: you're the best thing I've got."

"I guess this is what comes from having unprotected sex," said Lorelei, guiltily. "Lots of it." Despite their vow to take care after their initial slip-up, the successive days of constant lovemaking had proved to be too fast a pace for their condom resupplying to keep up, and so they'd lost their resolve more than once again.

There was a light tap at the door, and Charles poked his head in. "Lorelei, Logan_ - _I sincerely apologize for leaking your news in that manner. I didn't intend to take you so much by surprise, or to divulge it to the rest of the staff. We all allowed our shock to loosen our lips and barrage you with questions, and I'm truly sorry."

Logan nodded, and Lorelei whispered her thanks to the Professor.

Xavier hesitated. "I also wanted to pass along a polite request from Hank to reconvene with him in the medical exam room downstairs. He does not want to alarm you, but since mutant gestation is a field about which we have paltry knowledge, at best, he said that he would feel better after having spoken with you and taken your vitals, from a physician's perspective. And he's alone," he reassured them.

"Okay," Lorelei tried to sound sure of herself, even though she was scared, now. In the few minutes that had elapsed since she found out this news, she'd been too shocked for it to occur to her to be concerned for her health, or the baby's.

Beast was waiting in the well-lit facility, smiling encouragingly as Lorelei and Logan walked in. "Thank you for coming so promptly, and I'm extremely regretful of how nosy the rest of us were being back in Xavier's office. From this point forward, you and I have complete doctor/patient confidentiality. Understood?" Hank addressed this comment specifically to Lorelei, conveying that this relationship could usurp her connection with Logan, if she wanted to keep anything private from him.

Lorelei linked her hand with Logan's. "Understood."

"Good. You can sit down and relax. I'd really just like to start with the basics like heart rate and blood pressure, and we can go from there." Hank lifted the stethoscope from around his neck and inserted it in his blue furry ears while Lorelei got comfortable in a chair.

"I don't have to get undressed, do I?" she asked, feeling shy as he placed the chestpiece of the stethoscope above her left breast, over her clothing.

"No, let's not worry about that right now," said Hank. "I hate to admit it, but I'm not completely prepared since this isn't my area of expertise_ - _I'm going to have to refer back to some of my texts on prenatal care if you want me to continue treating you through an entire pregnancy. If it's what you want," he finished quietly.

Lorelei looked at Logan, his eyes mirroring the nervous excitement that she knew was in hers as well. "I do_ - _want the pregnancy," she said.

"Chuck said that this doesn't really happen: it's kind of rare?" commented Logan.

Hank looked at him in astonishment. "Not just rare: more like impossible. Improbable," he amended, seeing their stunned faces. "I assumed you both knew that most mutants do not function on a reproductive level, yes? There are _some_ mutants, both male and female, who are capable of producing offspring, although it's still unlikely that their organs and hormones would operate with the regularity of a human's over the entire course of their lives. So, sometimes_ - _infrequently_ - _you could have human-mutant relationships that yield progeny, with a mutant sire being able to elicit a mutant child from a human woman, since males carry the gene for mutation.

"In the case of a mutant-mutant coupling, not only would both mutants have to have viable reproductive systems, but they would both have to be working correctly at the same time and in conjunction with the female's time of ovulation being concurrent with intercourse. And even all of that does not guarantee conception."

Logan and Lorelei were dumbstruck. "Wow," said Lorelei. "So this is . . . an incredible coincidence in events?"

"Actually, not entirely," noted Hank, applying a blood pressure cuff. "While it is by chance that you are both _able_ to reproduce, the _desire_ to do so has a little less to do with odds. The pheromones being released while a female is in heat and fertile are very enticing to the male copulatory urges. That, in combination with Lorelei's augmented sensory permeations being so attractive and Logan's enhanced pheromone perception in his feral nature, for the two of you that may have made this more . . . inevitable."

Thinking of how many copulatory urges they'd given in to recently, Lorelei blushed red, and Logan narrowed his eyes at the doctor.

"That's enough of that_ - __Henry_," he said in a chilly voice.

"O-kay," replied Hank, unruffled. "Lorelei, your vitals are completely normal and healthy. I'd just like to take a small vial of blood to send out for testing_ - _verifying the pregnancy, first of all, for records' sake even though none of us doubt Charles's psychic perceptions. And get a standard prenatal wellness panel."

After he'd finished and applied a bandage to the needle site at the crook of her elbow, Hank departed and Lorelei turned to Logan.

"So, we're doing this?" she felt suddenly shy before this man who knew her so well.

"Yes, Love." He gathered her into his arms. "Hey, I guess now we know why you smelled different, earlier." He took a deep breath into her hair. "I still can't place why it smells familiar, though."

"Oh, wow," she said. "That hadn't even occurred to me. I can't believe you can smell a difference, this early," she commented, putting her palm on her entirely flat stomach.

He put his hand over hers. "Clearly, Lor, we're both just full of surprises."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

A week later, Hank located Logan and Lorelei alone in the kitchen. "Well, Parents, it's confirmed," he joked. "I received the blood test results back from the lab I sent it to. My rough due date calculation is for early next May, but we'll see what a sonogram says later on." Logan and Lorelei caught each other's eyes, and smiled.

"Also," he continued, "I've been reviewing some of my medical resources on pregnancy, as I had mentioned, and I'm interested in locating an office nearby that could perform an amniocentesis. Not only does this reveal more about the fetus and its development, but it could provide very useful data for the subject of mutant pregnancy. I'll gather more information and we can talk about it." Grabbing his lunch food, the doctor headed back down the hall that led to his office.

"Here we go," muttered Logan angrily.

"Baby, what is it?" Lorelei searched his face, worried by his tone.

"Come out to the garage with me," responded Logan. "We can talk, and I need to change the oil on my bike_ - _I've been neglecting it these past few weeks." He patted her bottom as he said this, but his joking didn't allay her concern about his abrupt change in mood.

Once outside, she waited patiently while he set up his drip pan, rags, tools, and quarts of oil next to his motorcycle. Perching on a large steel toolbox nearby, she watched him lie down in his oldest jeans and think about what he wanted to say. Finally, he spoke.

"Baby, I've been a bit worried about this since we first heard about our . . . little one." Lorelei had to smile at this tender epithet, but stayed silent. "Both the Professor and Hank have been telling us how unusual it is for mutants to have kids. I just think that soon enough, there's going to be talk about taking you to a lab and doing tests on you_ - _on both of us. I could practically hear him writing a new article in his head when he talked to us about that stuff just now."

"Do you mean, because of his mentioning the amniocentesis?" she asked. "Hank wouldn't do anything to me that he didn't need to, just to get data for his research."

_I wouldn't bet on that_, thought Logan, but he said, "No, of course not, Baby, but right now the only people who know about this are here at the school. What about when it becomes known to other mutants? Or the medical community? How long before the government comes knocking on our door, wanting to examine our kid?" His voice was starting to get heated, and he kept his eyes riveted on the wrench he was using.

She wanted to tell him that he was being paranoid because of his past, but the eventuality of his suggestions was hitting home for her. The safety she had felt surrounding her at Xavier's school was starting to evaporate as she considered her future, and the future of the life growing within her.

"We don't know if he- if the baby will be a mutant, too," she whispered, sounding a little wistful.

He sat up, balling a grease rag in his hands. "You know that won't matter to them," he whispered back, sadly.

She sank to her knees on the dirty floor of the garage, wanting the reassurance of his closeness. "Then Logan, what will we do?"

He sighed, and lowered his voice, putting his hand on her leg. "I've been wanting to talk to you about . . . getting out of here. I want to take you back to Alberta, to the mountains. Where no one knows where we are. And no one can find us."

She blanched. "That sounds dramatic."

"It would be worth it to me to keep you safe. Let's not decide just this minute, okay, Baby? I'm an impulsive guy, and I'm trying to do this right and let you think things through, the way you like to." He smiled.

Lorelei had to grin in response. "Thank you." She looked past him, out the open doorway of the garage, and saw Professor Xavier at the front entrance to the mansion, conversing with a uniformed man in front of a delivery truck parked on the circular driveway, its doors open and cargo hold stocked high with brown boxes of all sizes. "Oooh, I'll bet those are the new lab supplies. I'll go help the Professor bring those in and unpack them."

"Fun!" Logan teased her, and she got up and dropped a grease rag on his head in retaliation before jogging out the door and across the wide swath of grass that separated the garage from the house.

Xavier saw her coming and beckoned her with his hand, leaning over the clipboard that the delivery guy was holding out for him to sign. Lorelei had nearly reached their position on the concrete when the wind shifted, blowing hard from her back right toward the two men, fluttering the pages under Charles's hands.

The delivery man whipped his head upward, his eyes latching onto Lorelei with a look that was almost predatory. Charles snapped his gaze in this direction a split-second later, having heard the sudden change in the man's train of thought, and listening with horror at what was now flooding through his mind. _Run! _Charles thought into Lorelei's head.

She hadn't needed this warning to recognize the wild-eyed, obsessive look of a Highly Affected, one of those people for whom her mutation sparked a crazed desire for fornication. She was momentarily frozen in fear, and the man launched himself in her direction, knocking over the Professor's wheelchair. Xavier was dumped onto the driveway, his head smacking the pavement with a sickening sound that galvanized Lorelei to action. She wheeled around, pumping her legs across the grass as fast as she could go, and using every extra molecule of breath to scream at the top of her lungs: "LOGAN!"

The Wolverine was on his feet immediately, running out the garage door, where he saw the panicked face of his lover as she fled from her pursuer. He unsheathed his claws with a _snikt! _sound, drowned out by the earsplitting roar that came from his throat. He started sprinting toward her, the thought crashing to the forefront of his mind that he finally realized what was familiar about her new smell: himself. He could smell himself in their baby's smell, inside her. Nature's way of ensuring that he'd want the child, and protect it. Another primal cry tore from his vocal cords, conveying his intention to slay the one who threatened the mother of his young.

Once Lorelei was within a few yards in front of him, he dodged to one side, lunging past her to get her body behind him on the grass, and ready for blood. He raised one glinting trio of blades in preparation to slash and maim, but then he felt his fist freeze in the air. _Logan, no,_ he heard in his head.

"Xavier!" he yelled. He cast his eyes to where the Professor lay on the ground, one hand pressing against a bleeding wound to his head, and then noticed that the man who was running Lorelei down had also stopped in place, and as Logan watched, the man's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed, succumbing to Xavier's telepathic control. Logan's fist fell then, too, and he sheathed his claws and whirled around to Lorelei, first shooting Charles a furious look in exchange for the sigh of relief he saw in the Professor.

Lorelei half-jumped, half-staggered into his arms hard, almost knocking him over. Wrapping his arms around her so tightly that he had to remind himself to ease up, he collapsed on the ground, shaking with gratitude to have her safe with him. She bent her head, crying, as he held her and buried his face in her hair, feeling a few tears of his own slide into the soft, fir-scented strands. "You were good, you were so fast. I got you," he assured her. "I got you both."

She lifted her face briefly in supplication. "Logan . . . ?"

He cupped the back of her skull, drilling his eyes into hers to impress upon her the conviction of his words. "I know. We're gone."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The instructors, administrator, and physician of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters sat stunned around the dining table, staring at the other two mutants in front of them.

Hank spoke first. "Doesn't this seem like a bit of an overreaction: leaving the country?"

"No," said Logan shortly. "And we only told you that we're leaving the country because we know Chuck here has ways of finding people. But we don't want to be found, after this."

"Logan!" Ororo admonished. "Do you really think you have to hide her from us? Keep her safe from _us_?" She looked at him with hurt in her chocolate brown eyes, and Logan looked away.

Charles tried next. "I recognize that what happened this afternoon was traumatizing," gingerly touching the bandage on the side of his head, "but that does not mean that the security of our school has been compromised. All of us know that confidentiality is imperative, and you can trust us to uphold that for your child as well as for all of our residents here. We would never tell-"

"I knew him," interrupted Lorelei quietly. They all turned to look at her, and Logan wrapped an arm around her shoulders in support. "I knew that man, the delivery man, the one who . . . I mean, I've seen him before. He's come here, lots of times, to deliver packages. I signed for them," she started to shiver, the words catching in her throat. "It was never a problem."

"What she means," said Logan, holding her with both arms now, "is that this guy has already met her, and possibly touched her." His grip on her body tightened. "And he wasn't affected like that by her mutation ever before. He reacted just like every other human. But he attacks her now? We think . . . we think it might be the pregnancy. It's changing her scent, and changing how she effects people."

"_Mein liebes Kind_," said Kurt, his head bent in sympathy. _My sweet child._

"So your solution is just to cut yourselves off from the rest of civilization and go live in the wilderness?" Scott asked Logan sarcastically. "What if she gets hurt? What if the baby gets hurt? What if they starve? Do you really think that you are better off out there alone?"

"Yes," said Logan simply. "We're leaving at dawn." He spun around and stomped toward the door and, after a second, Xavier hurried to catch up with him.

"Logan!" he shouted, as the Wolverine didn't break his stride. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to buy a fucking _car!_" Logan bellowed, stopping and clenching his arms to his sides.

"Logan, please, you don't have to do this_ - _you don't have to leave. I know that what I did this afternoon, when I stopped you, was frustrating and you're angry, but I can explain-"

"Is that what you think this is about? Not getting to cut that asshole to ribbons?" asked Logan, astonished. "I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't disappointed about that. Or if I said I wasn't mad as hell at you for not letting me do it, even though it would have been murder. You should have let me do it; I want to kill anyone who even thinks like that about her. But I'm not leaving here because I'm angry I can't get what I want. We're leaving here because it's what _they need_. I have a family to take care of now, Charles_ - _a family. _Me._ And yes, that scares the shit out of me. But you need to let us go and let me do this. Let me be their man."

He looked down at Xavier's bruised and bandaged face, knowing that he'd said all that he could say, and walked away.

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"I've never even been camping." Lorelei sat on the bed next to a box of her clothing, taping the lid closed. She cleared her throat nervously, her eyes cast down.

He tapped her under the chin. "Never?"

"No. There was never anyone to take me when I was a kid_ - _you know, my grandmother was too old, and then the foster homes. Then here."

"I'll take you, Baby." She turned her face up to him to be kissed.

"Thank you, but . . . " she trailed off, and he watched her. "I just mean that I don't know anything about the woods, or mountains, or starting a fire, or bears and wolves."

"Bears and wolves? Lor, are you scared?"

"Yes. But I know you can handle yourself and we'll be just fine. I'm . . . worried."

He paused momentarily in his packing. "About what, Baby?"

She thought about the question before she answered it, something he loved about her. "I'm worried that it's too much for you to take on. Me, not knowing what I'm doing out there. Our . . . child. All that stuff Scott mentioned, like starving, and getting hurt, and-"

"Hey," he said softly, sitting down beside her and taking her hand. "Since when is Scott ever right? I'm always straight with you_ - _I'd tell you if it were too much. But _I'll_ decide what's too much for me to take on. And _you_ let me take care of you. Both of you." He put their linked hands on her stomach. "Forever."

She considered his logic, and kissed him in response. "Make love to me, Logan."

He grinned. "You'll never have to ask me twice." He knocked the box of clothing and the rest of their belongings off the bed, and she was borne back by the comforting weight of his broad chest, his big hands lifting under her hips to push down her pants, and then he was inside her though they were both still mostly dressed. She felt his hardness stretching her, stimulating her like electricity, and she pushed her hips upward against him, her movements futile against his heavy adamantium skeleton. He chuckled at her eagerness, brushing her hair back off her forehead, and he leisurely pulled backward, then slid gradually back into her, deliciously firm. He caught her earlobe between his teeth momentarily, then murmured, "We have our whole lives, Baby; why not slow down?"

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After a night engaged in worshipping one another's bodies, they were up way too early in the cool summer sunrise, coffee to go, arranging their small collection of belongings in a rooftop carrier affixed to the all-wheel-drive vehicle Logan found at the used car lot. Waiting close by were the X-men, preparing to say goodbye to their friends.

Standing at the open rear hatch with Logan, Scott picked up two sleeping bags and tossed them in the back. "_Sleeping_ in the car, huh?" asked Cyclops. "I sure hope you checked the shocks on this thing before you bought it." Logan looked at him, then gave him a quick punch on the arm.

"Please make sure you take care of yourself: the prenatal vitamins, and find a town with a midwife, one who can help you when you're ready to deliver," said Beast, enfolding Lorelei in a warm, furry hug.

"You know you can always come back here_ - _there's a place for all of you," Storm addressed Logan, her voice low and grave.

Nightcrawler bent over Lorelei's hand and kissed it. "_Springerle_. They are Christmas cookies," he said softly into her skin. "That's what I smell. The only time I've ever smelled that in the States."

Xavier shook Logan's hand, and turned his face to let Lorelei kiss his cheek. "Good luck" was all he could manage to say, a proud benediction in his voice.

Climbing into the car, the two were soon on their way down the road, Lorelei unfolding a map and looking at the highways through eyes blurry with tears. "Which way do we go first?"

Logan lifted one hand from the steering wheel, and tapped a spot on the paper. "Middletown. It's a couple of hours, and we'll get a bigger breakfast before we have to be at the courthouse."

"The courthouse? Why?"

"I made an appointment with a Justice who performs civil ceremonies." He jammed his hand into his jeans pocket and fished out a plain gold ring. "I love you. I want our child to have my name. But I want you to have it, first."

She smiled, a few tears spilling down her cheeks. "You know, I don't even know if Logan is your first name or your last name."

"Well," he grinned, "why don't you come to the courthouse with me and find out?"


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue

The sun's light filtered down through the towering fir trees to the smooth surface of the water. A tiny rowboat disturbed the calm, sending out a series of ripples every time one of its two occupants moved. A dark-haired young boy about nine years old was baiting the hook on the end of his fishing pole, observed by the dark-haired man from whom he'd gotten his features and the deftness of his movements.

"This has to be the last cast," said the man. "We told Mom we'd be back by sundown." He looked across the body of water to the tiny cabin on the opposite shore. On the porch, barely visible, a chestnut-haired woman was lounging on a rough wooden bench reading a book, her feet propped against a dog lying in front of her that was probably at least half wolf.

"Okay," the boy replied. In his eagerness to ready his line, he ran the end of his hook into his thumb, piercing the pink flesh of its pad. A drop of blood welled up when the hook was removed, but he took both hands and firmly gripped the pole, tilted it behind his shoulder, and brought it forward in a graceful arc, the baited hook sailing out and into the water with a tiny splash. The wound on his thumb was already healed.

"Good one," came the gruff voice of the man as he watched proudly. As the bugs dancing above the water increased their activity in the setting sun, more fish came up to make them an evening meal, so it was not long before the boy's line had jerked and grown taut from the wriggles of a good-sized trout. He reeled it in patiently with a practiced hand, then removed the hook from its gaping mouth before passing it, tail first, to his father to thump it firmly against the bottom of their craft to kill it and cease its thrashing.

"It's a nice size," Logan commented, passing the catch back to his son. "If we clean it now, we can eat it with the rest of 'em for dinner."

The boy nodded and, unsheathing a bone claw from the back of his hand that was long, straight, and deadly sharp, he prepared to gut the fish.

**AN: There is now a sequel to this story, entitled The Island.**


End file.
